To The Eagle:

Readers will be well aware that the past month has been very dry with almost no rainfall whatsoever. Burn bans are in place. River levels across the county are at near record low levels. The blood on our roads serves as testament to thirsty animals moving at unusual times.

What can individuals do to help out? The Town of Cathlamet is asking people to voluntarily limit their water use. This means that people should limit irrigation to hand water lines and strongly consider not watering lawns at all. Most people over water when they are using sprinklers. Please don’t wash your car, especially with a hose. Take shorter showers and not baths. Turn faucets off when you are not actively using the water. Consider catching any sink water that you run to let the hot get to your tap and use that to water your plants. These ideas, and many more, are available at http://www.home-water-works.org.

People will ask how long this type of voluntary restriction will last…my answer will be until it rains for a few days or until the restrictions are made mandatory to conserve the resource.

It isn’t just town water system people who need to conserve. People on wells need to consider the amount that they are pulling from the aquifer. That resource is also bearing an increased withdrawal rate with the hot weather.

In a nutshell, enjoy the summer; keep your vegetables and flowers watered; ignore the grass; take showers, and think water conservation. Slow your driving down in areas where you have seen deer, elk, otters or any other critters. Oh! And swim at the town’s pool to get a break from the heat.

Duncan Cruickshank

Town of Cathlamet Public Works