The City of Decatur has requested residents be mindful to conserve the amount of potable water that they use. | Stock Photo
The City of Decatur has requested residents be mindful to conserve the amount of potable water that they use. | Stock Photo
The City of Decatur is requesting that residents voluntarily lower their usage of potable water, due to current drought conditions in the Lake Decatur watershed, according to a release on the City's web site.
The watershed, and much of the central Illinois region, have been receiving lower than average rainfall since mid-August.
The water level at Lake Decatur is 1.3 feet below the normal winter level, and is slowly dropping approximately 0.29 inches per day. The lake is the primary source of water for the City of Decatur, and the Village of Mt. Zion, and the water level will continue to drop until the region gets some significant precipitation.
Lake Decatur is still approximately 69% full, but the City's request for residents to reduce the amount of water they are using will remain in effect until more precipitation is received.
| File Photo
The National Weather Service (NWS) has forecast below average precipitation for the central Illinois region through at least Christmas Day.
This request applies to all Decatur water customers including, Village of Mt Zion residents. The City’s 24 largest water customers will be contacted directly to help conserve water.
This request is just a precautionary measure in case the drought continues for an extended period of time. The lake is still 69% full due to the recently completed dredging project that increased its depth.
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