All things considered, the El Paso Water utility provider is well prepared for the coming water shortage for the Rio Grande next year, with several measures to compensate for the low water supply, including water conservation.
Dry Season Effect on Elephant Butte
According to El Paso Water's statement, the dry monsoon season reduced the water level in Elephant Butte Lake and Dam to an extent that has not been seen since the year 2013.
The runoff coming from the Colorado River also lessened last year due to the reduced rainwater and snowfall. This further lowered the Elephant Butte water reserves.
The implication here is that El Paso Water will most probably have a greatly reduced water allotment from the Elephant Butte reservoir next year compared to the allotment it had this year.
Among the ways that El Paso Water is preparing for the lower supply of water involves the proposal and passing of a drought resolution.
All things considered, the El Paso Water utility provider is well prepared for the coming water shortage for the Rio Grande next year, with several measures to compensate for the low water supply, including water conservation.
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Compensation Through a Drought Resolution
According to the company, it presented its proposal to the Public Service Board for a drought resolution, and they passed it. This was revealed by El Paso Water operations & technical services vice president Alan Shubert.
According to him, they have already passed resolutions of the same nature in the past years, which allowed El Paso Water to make needed purchases faster and install new equipment more quickly.
Drilling and Outfitting Additional Wells
Shubert also adds that El Paso Water is currently in preparations for the drilling of six more wells as well as the outfitting of previously drilled six wells last year.
If conditions were normal, the two projects are not supposed to be conducted at this accelerated schedule. However, the company was forced to speed things up due to the pressing circumstances of reduced water supply.
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Conservation Efforts and Public Campaign
According to Shubert, the conservation efforts being conducted by El Paso Water aims at reducing the possibility of having to enforce a more stringent water limit for its customers.
Furthermore, he praised their consumers because of their own initiatives in conserving water. Shubert said that they have smart customers who are conscientious about the welfare of the general population. They use water sparingly, he added, with each customer's consumption not reaching 130 gallons of water each day. This, according to Shubert, is an extremely good level of water conservation.
Proactive Measures are Enough
Shubert says that the public can rest assured that there will be enough water supply in the coming year. The proactive measures that El Paso Water is taking are considered as an extra precaution rather than a real shortage in the supply that they can provide. He adds that there is enough well water for the existing demand; still, he encourages the consumers to nevertheless conserve water.
It is worth noting that there was record demand for water in the past summer because of the extremely high temperatures, said Shubert.
All in all, El Paso Water is confident that the public will feel no water shortage. Again, he asks for water conservation from their consumers.
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