Drought-like conditions are making one Somerset County Township take drastic measures. Here’s what the Township is telling Residents to do and the reaction some are having.
Conemaugh Township is now restricting water usage and Residents now have to keep track of how much water they’re using. Each household will be limited to 40 gallons of water per Resident a day, unless there’s one Resident, which can use 55 gallons per day. Businesses in the Township are being asked to cut their water usage by at least a quarter of its previous amount used.
Watering lawns or other outdoor plants, golf courses or athletic fields, washing paved surfaces or vehicles, and filling swimming pools are some prohibited water uses. Restaurants are also not supposed to serve water unless it is specifically requested by the Customer.
But why are these restrictions being implemented? Theresa Weyant, the Office Manager of Conemaugh Township Municipal Authority saying: “Once the water in our reservoir gets six feet below the spillway, that’s when we have to put on mandatory restrictions, so once we get above that level then we can lift it.” When that’ll be is not known yet.
Conemaugh Township Officials say they do read water meters for each Resident monthly and will continue to track those during restrictions. Weyant adding: “And as we read meters, hopefully everybody’s keeping their usage down.”
And if they don’t, Weyant says: “We could charge them up to three times the rate and also three times the overage rate as well. But we don’t feel that that’s going to come into play, that everybody understands the seriousness of this, that we just didn’t put a mandate out.”
Some local Residents we spoke with say the water restrictions are too strict, while others say there’s nothing they can do about the weather conditions.