OKLAHOMA CITY -
Experts say Lake
Thunderbird will hit a record low next month and that has Oklahoma's third
largest city scrambling to find ways to keep water running.
One option for
Norman includes purchasing water from Oklahoma City. OKC officials say their city is battling its own water issues, but they also say it
is possible to provide Norman with water.
Supplying Norman with water depends
how much Norman will need, according to Oklahoma City public works director
Debbie Ragan. Lake Hefner in northwest Oklahoma City and most lakes across the
metro are low, but none of the lakes are quite as bad at Lake Thunderbird.
"No one living can
ever remember Lake Thunderbird getting this bad," city manager Mark Edwards of
Del City said.
Lake Thunderbird
serves residents in Norman, Midwest City and Del City. The tri-city area is
home to nearly 200,000 people. Midwest City and Del City also use deep water
wells. Norman does not use wells.
"We hadn't had to
ration, so we're in good shape," city manager Guy Henson of Midwest City said.
Henson's
counterpart in Del City says he is experiencing a similar situation.
1/1/2013 Related Story: Lake Thunderbird Dangerously Low, Congress Allows Additional Water Source
"With the water
wells and everything we've got in place, we will be fine," Edwards said. "It's
Norman that's got [its] back up against the wall."
Norman survives
entirely off of Lake Thunderbird and Thunderbird needs life support.
"Once you get out
of the conservation pool, you're in pretty dire straits," Norman mayor Cindy
Rosenthal said. "It's a very serious situation."
Oklahoma City has
a contract with Norman to sell water. So far, Norman has not asked Oklahoma
City for support, but needing that support is a strong possibility as the
drought continues.
Oklahoma City
issues requirements for use of its water. If used, Norman residents would need to
abide by Oklahoma City water conservation orders, according to Ragan. Only a
limited amount of water would be supplied to Norman. And, Oklahoma City would
reserve the right to cut off its water to Norman, if necessary.
Options for
keeping Lake Thunderbird alive include using pipelines to direct water from
other lakes, recycling water by allowing treated sewage water to be used and
building a new lake. A new lake could take more than a decade to complete, and
officials do not know where it will be built.
To save as much
water as possible, all three cities are now required to cut back 10 percent on
the amount of water pulled from Lake Thunderbird.
The City of Norman says water rationing orders will more than
likely be necessary starting in the Spring.
Lake Thunderbird
