BELGRADE — High summer temperatures and increased water usage have led the city of Belgrade to enact temporary water restrictions, but the city says new developments should increase capacity by 50 percent.
"So, water restrictions are purely related to weather conditions and the amount of use people are using—predominantly outdoor use. And so, we started to see some drops in our available water storage early in the mornings," says Director of Public Works Camaree Uljua.
She says in early July the city raised utility rates, but when residents received their new bills, many were inaccurate due to a software error. Shortly after, restrictions were put in place, leading some to wonder if the two incidents were related.
"July was the first month that the new utility rates would go into effect, so that was the first month people would see their bills was at the end of July—and it just happened to coincide with that stretch of really hot weather," she says.
Uljua says Belgrade’s water demand usually triples in the summer, but recently she’s seen a large drop in water storage during morning hours.
"It’s not so much an issue of having available water; there’s plenty of water available in the aquifer. It’s just that we can’t pump it out of the ground fast enough to keep up with the demand," she says.
Belgrade’s groundwater storage is also used by local firefighters, highlighting the risk of running dry during fire season.
Uljua says this can also create a drop in water pressure, causing a backflow of water in the pump, "And what happens then is that it could potentially pull contaminates into the water system which would endanger anyone who’s drinking it."
The water restrictions are mainly time-based, restricting all overhead watering to the hours of 6 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Uljua says the city’s goal is to have a system that will be able to handle high demands, especially as the city continues to grow.
And she says, "We will be kicking off construction of two new groundwater sources. Between the two wells, they’ll be capable of producing 3,000 gallons per minute. Which represents a 50% increase in our instantaneous production for the city."
For more information on Belgrade water restrictions, click here.
