Drought-reduced water levels back to normal

By Staff
Jonathan Willis
County officials are finally over the water woes of 2007.
The Russellville Water and Sewer Board recently stopped pumping water from Cedar Lake, which is the system's back-up source. The board began using Cedar Lake in October after water levels in Lake Elliott, the man-made water source for the city, dropped more than 120 inches.
Russellville Water and Sewer Board manager Doug Clement said that water levels in Lake Elliott are at regular levels for the first time since last spring.
"Lake Elliott is going over the spillway," Clement said. "We got off Cedar two weeks ago."
Clement said having Cedar Lake as a back-up source saved the system last fall as north Alabama suffered through one of the worst droughts in history.
"(Lake) Elliott was 128 inches below normal pool when we went to Cedar," Clement said. "That was a record. By going to Cedar, we gave Lake Elliott a chance to recover."
The water lines extending to Cedar Lake have only been opened to the city department for just more than two years.
"We are glad we have it available if we have to go to it," Clement said.
The Franklin County Water Authority, which purchases water from Russellville, Red Bay and Phil Campbell, felt the problems shared by other authorities last year, but never saw a dip on Big Bear Lake, which they pump from.
"We never saw a problem there," said Doug Aaron, manager of the Franklin County Water Authority.
The county serves about 1,700 customers and sells water to the towns of Vina and Hackleburg.
The Russellville system has more than 5,000 residential customers in addition to its industrial and commercial customers.
The county system hopes to serve much of its own water by late in the year.
If, as many weather experts are predicting, the region suffers through drought-like conditions similar to 2007, Clement said the city would begin pumping water from Cedar Lake earlier this year.
Water officials are also looking into the possibility of closing Lake Elliott to public use.
Clement said the lake, which was built in 1963, is one of just a handful of drinking water sources still open to the public, but the risks involved with that grow each year.
"We are trying to protect the lake from any contaminants from outside sources," Clement said. "Right now, I would put the quality of water in Lake Elliott up against any in the country."