Parched Pelham

Yikes! Lake Pelham looks like the Sahara.

As of Wednesday, it was nearing 31 inches below normal, just five inches away from mandatory water restrictions. Months of below average rainfall continue to take their toll on the town reservoir and the shoreline is significantly receding.

Late last month, the town issued voluntary conservation measures, calling for "the public to employ prudent restraint" when using water.

But once Lake Pelham drops to 36 inches below normal, mandatory restrictions kick in, which include: limited watering of yards, no car washing except in businesses with water-recycling systems, no running of ornamental fountains, no filling of pools and no service of drinking water in restaurants unless requested by the customer.

According to Harry Hughes, town director of environmental services, it could be as soon as early November when that happens. The lake drops about a quarter to a half an inch per day, he said. The hot weather isn't helping much either.

Though the town hasn't yet encountered any problems treating and distributing some 2.5 million gallons of water per day, it's had to use more chemicals in the treatment process because it's pulling water from greater depths. More chemicals are costing the town more money.

Hughes is concerned about the situation, but not panicking.
"It's like having your checkbook open and you don't know when you're going to get paid again and half your money is gone," he said Wednesday. "You're not missing sleep yet but something has to turn."

The town has been pulling about 1-mgd of water from Mountain Run Lake, its backup reservoir, but like Lake Pelham, it too is about half full or less, Hughes said.

The cooler weather forecast for later this week should help some, he said.

The last time the town implemented water restrictions was 2002, but Lake Pelham never dipped as low as it has now.
Plus, there were far fewer residents in town, consuming about 1.5 million gallons per day, Hughes said.

"This is way worse," he added. "I guess the word for it is 'unprecedented.'"

Hughes, who lives in a house on Lake Pelham, said he's talked to some older neighbors who haven't seen the lake this low since it was first dug and filled back in the '60s.

The situation today also recalled the disastrous drought of 1954, he said.

The next chance of rain in Culpeper is Friday; forecasters predict a 40 percent chance.