Water Could Run Out for Some Communities by Summer

The drought is hitting some communities hard.  Lone Chimney Lake near Glencoe, is running low on water.   The lake is down to only about four feet of treatable water, the Lone Chimney Water Association said.  Chairman Darrel Clark said it should be enough water to last until June, barring any emergencies.

Clark said low levels at the lake have been a concern for months.

"We've been concerned about it for about a year and a half now, we've been asking people to conserve and some of the entities that are on Lone Chimney have pulled off and have another water supply," Clark said.

Clark said those efforts have worked to lessen demand, but because the area has not had any substantial rain, the lake has hit the end of it's supply.

Payne County has declared a state of emergency.

"What were hoping to do with an emergency declaration is of course make the public more aware of what's happening," emergency manager Jeff Kuhn said.

Kuhn said he is working with emergency mangers in other counties to come up with a plan in case water does run out.

"We're also working the the different communities and if we did run out of water I asked them if they've got a plan and of course some of them do and some of them are working on a plan.  And some of them don't have a clue know what they're going to do at this point," Kuhn said.

Kuhn said they will use the next few months to come up with a plan. Meanwhile, Lone Chimney is hoping a pipeline, tapping into water from Stillwater, will be installed before the lake runs out of water.

Lone Chimney serves about 16,000 customers in Payne, Pawnee, Logan and Noble counties.Water Could Run Out for Some Communities by Summer

Posted: Tuesday, January 15 2013, 09:25 PM CST