Columbus is dipping into its water reserves as drought conditions continue in central and southeast Ohio.
The drought impacting much of the state hasn't hurt Columbus' water sources as much as those south of the city, but symptoms are starting to show. The city mainly draws its water from several reservoirs north of the city.
At the far northern banks of the O'Shaughnessy Reservoir, the Scioto River is down considerably. The edges of the riverbed are exposed and dirt is starting to crack.
Matt Steele, assistant administrator for the Columbus Division of Water, said the reservoirs are down several feet. Steele said the utility is now using reserves from the newer Doutt Reservoir built in 2014 in northwest Delaware County.
"Our reservoirs are holding pretty steady right now. They are dropping. But since the drought started south of Franklin County, we have been able to continue to get some inflow from our watersheds that are north of the city," Steele said.
Steele said customers shouldn't be experiencing impacts to water availability in their homes. The city serves not just Columbus, but also 23 surrounding communities.
Steele credited the city's planning over several decades dating back to a 1988 drought in increasing water supply and diversifying the supply between different sources that are both above ground and underground.
"Due to the planning of the previous city water planners and the construction and activities that we've had over the last several years and our investment in our water supplies, we're in a good shape right now for the drought conditions that we're experiencing," Steele said.
Steele said the forecast isn't showing signs that the drought will let up soon. He said if the drought persists for several months, the city may have to take further action.
"If the drought persists, we will continue to monitor rainfall, weather predictions, reservoir elevations and water demands to determine what our next steps would be," Steele said.
