Clarendon aldermen to consider restrictions

The City of Clarendon will hold a public hearing next Tuesday evening, July 26, at 6 o’clock to discuss drought contingency planning and regulating water usage.

The hearing will be held at City Hall immediately before a called meeting of the Board of Aldermen, during which city leaders are expected to take action on a drought plan for Clarendon.

“We’ll be considering a plan that provides for action,” City Administrator Lambert Little told the Enterprise.

City Hall last week published guidelines for citizens to follow as the city tries to reduce water consumption by 30 percent. Those rules are only voluntary now, but may become mandatory next week.

During last Tuesday’s regular city meeting, aldermen met with Greenbelt Water Authority General Manager Bobbie Kidd, who said the lake entered Stage Three of its drought contingency plan in May and will likely hit Stage Four – Severe Water Shortage – on about August 8.

Kidd told city leaders it was time for everyone to be think about how they use water in the face of the shortage.

“We’ve always done as we pleased and have had enough to do that,” Kidd said. “Now we’re just going to have to be smart. Don’t water during the heat of the day. Water at night, for example.”

If the lake enters Stage Four, member cities like Clarendon and Hedley will have allotments of water and may be financially penalized for using more than their allotment, but Kidd said he hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

“Voluntary measures are a lot better than trying to force people to do something,” he said.

Looking to the future of the reservoir, Kidd said water authority has engineers studying the reliability of Greenbelt Lake, the availability of water in the Red River, and possible alternative sources of water.

“Three years ago, Greenbelt drilled some test wells and did more drilling last winter,” Kidd said.

Information from those test will be included in a report engineers are expected to make to the Greenbelt board in October.

Kidd said right now Greenbelt Lake is still holding about 4.5 billion gallons of water.

The city’s voluntary water usage rules are as follows:
1) Limit outside watering to twice-a-week and then only before 10 a.m. and after 7 p.m. Residential customers with odd-numbered street addresses should water on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Even-numbered addresses should water on Thursdays and Sundays, and commercial customers should water on Tuesdays and Fridays.
2) Limit washing motor vehicles, motorbikes, boats, and other vehicles at home to before 10 a.m. or after 7 p.m. on your designated watering day, and then use a bucket and/or hand-held hose with a shut-off nozzle. Commercial car washes are exempted.
3) Avoid filling swimming pools except during the above hours.
4) Avoid operating ornamental fountains unless necessary to support aquatic life or if equipped with a recirculation system.
5) Do not water-wash driveways, sidewalks, or other hard-surfaced areas. Do not wash down buildings or structures except for immediate fire protection.
6) Repair all leaks as soon as possible, and report any leaks or unauthorized usage to City Hall. Night and weekend emergency leaks should be reported to the Donley County Sheriff’s Office at 806-874-3533.

In other city business last week, the board received a Chamber of Commerce update from Chamber President Charlie Smith, who reported on June activities and the July Fourth celebration. Mayor Larry Hicks said he thought the celebration went off very well with the exception of a not having a grand stand or public address system, but also said he did not see any sign that the Chamber was re-organizing.

“It doesn’t seem you’re doing anything to get back in our good graces, and we want to
support you,” Hicks said, referring to the city’s withdrawal earlier this year of Chamber funding totally $20,000 annually.

“We haven’t been able to get together to have a meeting,” Smith replied.
Aldermen also considered a request from the Saints’ Roost Museum for Motel Bed Tax funds for the Col. Charles Goodnight Chuckwagon Cookoff and approved $5,000 for that event.

In his administrator’s report, Little informed the board that he believed Alderman Kyle Davis had missed three meetings and may therefore be disqualified from service.
He also said that Charles Deyhle’s term was expiring as the city’s representative on the Greenbelt Water Authority Board. Aldermen will consider those positions at next Tuesday’s called meeting.