Emily Featherston
While some light rain passed through the area over the weekend, the Birmingham Water Works Board has moved into the next category of drought management.
BWWB issued a Stage-3 Drought Warning on Wednesday, making water conservation measures mandatory rather than just a suggestion and reminder.
"Voluntary measures were not enough to deal with this level of drought," Darryl Jones, BWWB assistant general manager of operations and technical services, said in a Wednesday press release.
Jones cited severe lack of rain, along with low levels at Lake Purdy, a major BWWB source. He also said water consumption has not gone down through voluntary measures.
The Stage-3 warning calls for surcharges for customers using too much water or violating watering restrictions. While the agency reported a reduction of water usage over the weekend, a significant uptick in use on Monday and Tuesday led to the move further into the management plan.
Rain is in the forecast for Thursday and Friday due to a cold front moving through the region, but the Birmingham National Weather Service office described it as nothing but a "dust settler."
BWWB customers using above 110 percent of their monthly average will be charged a 200 percent surcharge, and would go into affect on Nov. 19, 30 days after the Stage-3 notice.
The agency also requested that local municipalities invoke their drought ordinances.
Mountain Brook has a city drought ordinance, and is directing residents to follow the BWWB guidelines.
The BWWB Drought Management Plan and its suggestions for water conservation can be found online at bwwb.org/droughttips.
