Stage 3 water regulations adjust campus life
Measures to conserve water in Wichita Falls have been in effect ever since the area drought began, but those measures may become even more restrictive as conditions continue to worsen. City council officially declared a stage 3 drought emergency last Wednesday as water levels at Lake Arrowhead and Lake Kickapoo reached a combined capacity of 40 percent.
Midwestern State University only watered its sports fields on Friday under stage 2 drought restrictions. Now, under stage 3 restrictions, that watering time is limited to only five hours.
Associate Vice President of Facilities Services, Kyle Owen, said that the football fields in particular are a problem because they are on sandy soil that requires more consistent watering than the rest of the fields.
“I look at it as an investment,” Owen said, “The clay fields can survive a week or so without watering.”
Before the drought, MSU was using between 1.7 and 1.9 million gallons of water every month to maintain the football fields.
“We probably won’t get back to that level for a very long time,” Owen said.
According to Owen, MSU pays the city a premium in order to obtain municipal water for the campus’ use, however the school is looking into the construction of water wells to help keep the football fields in good condition. Those wells could cost the university up to $75,000, but the costs will be offset by the money saved from not buying municipal water.
Owen said these wells may eventually have a negative impact on the field’s condition, however.
“The water looks clear but it has a lot of solids in it that might kill the grass,” Owen said.
He said it would take several years for the well water to have a negative impact on the grass though, meaning that the wells are only intended to offset the school’s current reliance on city water.
Off the field, Owen said that there will not be any restrictions on water usage in campus housing as MSU has already taken measures to reduce water waste.
“We use low-flow toilets and shower heads, and aerators on faucets to regulate flow,” Owen said.
Students and citizens alike are being encouraged to play their part in conserving water during these dry times, but some feel that there needs to be more awareness.
Freshman Stephen Alonso, criminal justice major, lives in the dorms but said that he was not aware of the drought until recently.
“I may have seen some warning signs on the showers but I didn’t know about it until now,” Alonso said.
He said that more students should be made aware of the problem so that they can help out.
Sophomore Christine Mounce, agrees that more students should be aware of the drought, but she feels lucky that MSU’s water is at least drinkable.
“The water in Henrietta is unsafe to drink right now, so their situation is slightly more dire than ours,” Mounce said.
Mounce said that she did notice a poster hanging in Killingsworth Hall informing students about the drought, but that more should be done to educate the public.
Owen encourages students to watch how much water they are using by turning off the sink when brushing their teeth, taking shorter showers and using less water to clean dishes.
“A lot of common sense considerations can go a long way,” Owen said.
Students are also encouraged to call campus central planning at 397-4202 and report any leaks they happen to find around campus, whether it be inside or on the grounds.
“Unless it is an emergency they won’t respond right away,” Owen said, “but someone is operating that phone line 24 hours a day.”