It's hard to image a city of 105,000 running out of water, but that's the reality in Wichita Falls, Texas. A crippling four-year drought has taken this community to a place they've never been before.
"It's been awful here. We're entering our worst drought on record," said Russell Schreiber, the city's public works director, and the force behind one of the most controversial plans in Texas: The use of treated wastewater for public consumption. It's a bold move — and a tough sell.
Tim McMillin, a radio host and father in Wichita Falls, is one of the many residents who doesn't like the idea of drinking treated wastewater.
"Just the concept of drinking the water that yesterday you sent along its merry way ... I don't think anybody wants that."
McMillin worries about his kids' safety when this new plan is instituted. "I have no way to test it myself," he said.
He won't have to just yet. The Texas Water Commission is reviewing more than 8,000 pages of data to ensure Wichita Falls' new state-of-the-art treatment facility is working.
It's capable of treating 5 million gallons of water a day, and has the full support of Mayor Glenn Barham.
"That water will be safe," Barham said. "I'll be the first to take a drink when they turn it on."
Here's how it works. Four stages of high-tech filters remove all solid material from the water. The final stage is a process called reverse osmosis, which strips nearly everything out of the water but the basic hydrogen and oxygen molecules.
Treated water alone can't save this community. This is the driest three-year period in recorded history. It started with a brutal summer heat wave in 2011, when Wichita Falls endured more than 100 days of temperatures above 100 degrees and saw a mere 13 inches of rain.
Drought restrictions are in place, prohibiting all outdoor water usage. City officials will begin issuing fines up to $2,000 for people who turn on the hose, wash their cars or fill their pools.
Read entire article at: http://www.weather.com/news/science/environment/wichita-falls-texas-cracked-20140423
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