Water Supply

Stanford City Council continued to exempt commercial car washes from the town's mandatory water restrictions at a special meeting Thursday. But that could change next Thursday when the council meets again to discuss the city's dwindling water supply in the midst of the worst drought in recent memory. "I don't think we can do that," said Mayor Bill Miracle, referring to the car wash exemption. "We can't pick and choose. An ordinance is an ordinance. " But councilman Eddie Carter repeated what has become his mantra during the lead up to water restrictions: "I have a problem putting several businesses out of business," he said.

Stanford City Council opened its meeting Thursday by literally praying for rain and then imposed mandatory water restrictions prohibiting most forms of outdoor watering but excluding commercial car washes for the time being. The board unanimously approved the limitations after Alan DeShon, general manager of the Stanford Water Department, told the council that the city's water supply is severely low because of the continuing drought. The new rules could remain in effect through the fall, depending on the amount of rain the city receives, he said.

Better wash your car today, because by tomorrow the city may have imposed mandatory water restrictions. On Tuesday, the Stanford Water Board decided to urge city council tonight to upgrade "water advisory" to "water alert," said Alan DeShon, manager of the Stanford Water Department. This means water usage from which we were encouraged to abstain would be prohibited. Voluntary water conservation appeared to be helping, DeShon said, with the city using 200,000 fewer gallons of water in September than in August.

Winchester Municipal Utilitues general manager Vernon Azevedo clarified questions about WMU's water supply in the face of drought conditions in Central Kentucky at the WMU commission's regular meeting Thursday night. WMU issued a press release on Aug. 29 which stated that the utility is not under mandatory water restrictions at this time. However, customers are "encouraged to use water wisely and only when necessary," Azevedo said in the release. WMU's Emergency Water Conservation Plan has three phases: Phase 1 is a water shortage advisory, Phase 2 is a water shortage alert, and Phase 3 is a water shortage emergency.

This year's drought has taken a toll on many across central Kentucky, and Nicholasville is no exception. On Tuesday, the Kentucky River Authority opened the valves at Dam 13, near Beattyville, and Dam 12, near Irvine, in an attempt to increase flow to other areas of the region. Nicholasville Utility Director Tom Calkins said Pool No. 8, where the city draws its water from, has suffered greatly in recent weeks. In an e-mail to area leaders, Calkins said, "Pool 8 is dropping like a rock, but fortunately the KRA is opening the valves in Dam 13 and Dam 12 this afternoon (Tuesday)

The long, dry summer has prompted the city of Nicholasville to issue a voluntary water conservation advisory. "Our infrastructure is fine, and we're not experiencing any problems," Nicholasville Utilities Director Tom Calkins said. "It's just that the (Kentucky) river is very stressed right now. This is our dry portions of the year, and we don't see anything long-term-wise that's going to bring the river back around. " The advisory recommends that customers - residential, commercial and industrial - reduce discretionary water use, such as lawn sprinkling and pool filling.

The Winchester Board of Commissioners on Tuesday continued its in-depth review of legal, infrastructural and financial woes facing Winchester Municipal Utilities in the coming years. WMU General Manager Vernon Azevedo presented a summary of the company's approaching obligations with the Environmental Protection Agency, increasing demand for water supply and the company's overall budget crunch. It was the latest in a series of talks aimed at informing public officials and Clark County residents on the severity of issues confronting the utility, including $45 million of capital projects over the next 20 years and likely rate increases.

Winchester Municipal Utilities cannot move forward with necessary projects until Winchester's city commission appropriates the finances. That was the central message of a presentation delivered by WMU general manager Vernon Azevedo to the utilities commission at its regular meeting Thursday. Azevedo addressed the Environmental Protection Agency consent decree deadlines facing the utility, water supply alternatives and where WMU stands financially. He made the presentation at the request of Mayor Ed Burtner.

For the fourth time in five years, the Nicholasville wastewater treatment plant garnered the state's top honor by receiving the 2006 Operational Excellence Award. "We were the only plant in the state of Kentucky to achieve this award," said Van Bugg, superintendent of the wastewater plant. There are 2,000 such facilities throughout the state. The criteria for winning the award is strict. "If a plant has no more than one violation of its permit that allows us to put water out to the (Town Fork)

Dear Editor, In regards to Stephanie Schell's humorous take on her status as an ostracized smoker - even considering how well written the piece was - I still do not shed a tear for her. Here is only my most recent reason why. My 14-month-old son made a valiant attempt to eat three cigarette butts in July. You see, that is the number of times my family and I went for a relaxing morning at Millennium Park. While at the playground, my little guy had a 100 percent positive record at finding a used cigarette butt and sticking it immediately in his mouth.