The lack of rain in Ohio during the past month has brought drought designations, outdoor burn bans and a plea from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to conserve water.
But much needed rain fell recently, and there’s more in the forecast over the next few days. WYSO's Mike Frazier asked Brad Lodge, the water inventory planning manager at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, why we still need to conserve water, and why this drought is so unusual for Ohio.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Brad Lodge: Ohio is fortunate enough to be considered a water abundant state. We do not face the same problems as many parts of the country do, specifically the West. In fact, we see a lot more flooding in Ohio than drought as an issue, which is why this drought has been such a wake up call and kind of shocking to folks around the state. During these times of drought, we are urging water users to think of water as a shared resource because every water user is seeing the impacts of the lack of rainfall.
Mike Frazier: You mentioned Ohio is a water-rich state. Do you want to elaborate more on that?
Lodge: Two-thirds of Ohio’s state boundary is covered by Lake Erie and the Ohio River. And we have various reservoirs and lakes all around Ohio. And believe it or not, we have more groundwater than all of our surface water combined. So we are considered a water-abundant state. Much of the Great Lakes region is.
Frazier: Even if that's the case, that doesn't mean that people can be carefree with water usage, especially during this time. Is that correct?
Lodge: Correct. Just because we are a water abundant state does not make us immune to the impacts of this drought.
Frazier: What are some tips can you give folks on how to conserve water?
Lodge: We can make some simple adjustments at home to make a big difference if we're all doing them together. Some things inside your home can include reducing your shower time. This can save up to five to seven gallons per minute, believe it or not, depending on your fixture. Another tip would be to not run the dishwasher or your laundry machine until it is full. And then, of course, if you've got kiddos at home, this can be a great opportunity to teach them some water-saving tips during the drought. So you guys are all brushing your teeth together, tell them to turn off the faucet. It really gets our younger generation involved as well.
Frazier: Does the water shortage affect those connected to city water versus those connected to well water? Do they affect those folks differently?
Lodge: So all private water will be impacted. We are seeing limitations on municipal water supply. And I would urge folks to check with their utilities to see if there's any restrictions that they've placed out there. Of course, when there's a lack of rainfall, the groundwater levels are going to drop under the surface of the Earth, and we're going to see impacts to private wells as well.
Frazier: For folks with lawns, should they water, should they not water and just let it come back naturally? Should they water occasionally?
Lodge: It depends on what part of the state you’re in. Not all of Ohio is in this severe to exceptional drought. I would abstain from watering your lawn completely. But we know there's an aesthetic appearance that people are trying to uphold, which we would urge people to water their lawn at night when it's not going to evaporate as quickly.
Lodge: What about harvesting rain water, like rain barrel usage? Do you have any advice or a position on that?
Lodge: Rain barrels are recommended, and we're seeing them pop up in private residences all over the state. They can be used to water your garden. I know my sister and my nephews use it to fill up their Super Soakers in the summer to have squirt gun fights. Anything that you can use for water outside, a rain barrel would definitely be a conservation tip that I would recommend.
So this drought could potentially have some ripple impacts into next year or the year after. So we're seeing this drought right now. If we don't get a wet fall or winter or spring with our reserve levels already low, if we see another dry period or drought next summer, we could find ourselves in some trouble. So we really want to urge everybody to start thinking of water conservation now for any future impacts we might see in the following years.
Lodge: Not to push the panic button, but by trouble, what issues could we potentially see if we don't get enough rain between now and next year?
Lodge: I would say private well owners will see impacts to their wells in future years. But we are working with local agencies, other state agencies and federal agencies to get our message out, see what we can do to conserve water, see where emergency water supplies can be withdrawn from. But I urge folks to, again, check with their utilities, check with their soil and water conservation districts. They will have a better idea locally of what folks can do to conserve water and alert you to any advisories or restrictions that are out there.
