Dawn,

Gardens used for food production are exempt from the ruling.

Reed

Reed, That is good, but most everyone here who grows food also grows ornamentals and lawns too, and the landscapes need their share of watering. It is just so disheartening to see water restrictions at this time of year when water use is fairly low anyhow.

You know, if people would mix in edibles with their ornamental flowers, they could water those beds any time, right?

I know the lakes are way down. It is that way down here too, but we don't have watering restrictions. In fact, as dry as Oklahoma has been, we've never had watering restrictions in our portion of Love County since we moved here in 1999, and I feel like we've been pretty fortunate in that regard. There are at least 4 separate water systems in Love County, and two of them have pretty regular watering restrictions in dry periods. I'm glad we live in an area served by a water co-op that has not yet found it necessary to implenent restrictions. I have to implement my own watering restrictions when our water bill gets too high.

The poor old Red River south of Thackerville looks pathetic. Before long you'll be able to walk across it without touching water. A tall person with long legs likely could do that now by jumping from sandbar to sandbar.

It is shaping up to be another dry spring in a relatively long line of mostly dry springs.

Dawn

Outside watering is completely forbidden here as of yesterday, but it's because the line from Tom Steed is broken and we're using the city reservoir inside. I hope they get it fixed quickly because about all that water is good for IS outside watering.

We had water restrictions last summer and I'm sure we'll have them again this year. I gave up on my garden really early last year and quit watering, but I'm not going to do that this year. I'm determined to have a garden that actually grows things this year.

Leslie

We have continuous "water restrictions"; If you use a gallon of water you pay to dispose of a gallon of sewage regardless of how the water is used.

I pretty well do my part. My water from hand washables is used to either water trees and bushes, or to flush. I keep a bucket in the bathtub, and catch the water till it flows warm. I have a bottle at the kitchen sink, to catch the water till it is warm/hot, and then dump it in the bucket in the bathroom, and use that to flush, when it is full.

Personally, I know how to conserve... I am just worried about the summer heat, if our lakes don't fill up before long.

Moni

Leslie, I heard about Tom Steed but didn't realize the pipeline wasn't repaired yet.

Moni, I know how to conserve as well and do a lot of it, including catching as much rainwater as possible and using it for watering. Of course, to catch rainwater, there actually has to be rain falling from the skies.

It does bother me that the lakes are as low as they are in winter. We really need good, heavy spring rains to refill them and I am not sure that's gonna happen. It will be awful if spring rainfall stays below average and we don't get the extra rain needed to fill up the reservoirs before summer arrives.

The big issue in summer won't even be just how much people are or aren't using. It is that the heat evaporates so much moisture from the reservoirs themselves and there's nothing you can do to prevent that water from evaporating. Everyone could have stringent watering restrictions and still the lake levels would drop and drop and drop due to evaporation.

For those of us whose water co-ops rely on well water, the town of Wapanucka's recent experience should make us wonder how long we can pump out groundwater before the wells run dry. Wapanucka's well ran dry last week, leaving the town without a source of water. For a few days they had to close businesses and school, haul in drinking water, etc. while the city ran a water line to tie into another water system that serves Atoka. They've had water issues in the past, likely because the water level underground was falling lower than the depth of their wells, but now their wells are completely dry. A lot of rain will have to fall to recharge the aquifer their well draws from.

If this weather continues to be as dry in 2013 as it was in 2011 and 2012, more and more city, county or private water systems undoubtedly will be in trouble like Wapanucka is now. You cannot pump water out of the ground if there's no water there.

Dawn

I put a bucket on a rope and pulley in a well in the yard we used as a kid. so i might have to draw it this summer to water garden and maybe the house