Grand Island Town Board: Residents asked to continue conserving water

The Town of Grand Island's three-pronged approach to addressing a water shortage during the current dry spell is paying off, and residents are advised to keep up the good work.

The Grand Island Town Board praised residents for their cooperation in answering a voluntary request the town put out last week to conserve water.

Town Supervisor Mary Cooke said at Monday's Town Board meeting at Town Hall that the town wasn't able to refill the town water tank on Whitehaven Road recently, "and we were losing ground until we started the voluntary restriction." She noted that a threefold approach of water conservation, increasing pump capacity at the town water tank, and buying a little bit more water from Niagara County Water District has worked.

"We're okay, but I hesitate to say that we're out of the woods because it hasn't rained yet," Cooke added.

"One episode of rain isn't going to solve it. We really need to be doing this water conservation as we progress through the summer. It doesn't look like we're suddenly going to get a lot of rain."

A prime goal of conservation is to maintain water pressure in the event of a fire emergency. Councilman Gary Roesch said the voluntary conservation by residents "has definitely helped maintain an adequate pressure to the water system. I guess as a Town Board and through the engineering department, we just want to thank the community for cooperating."

Cooke echoed Roesch's comments, saying the town is "getting great cooperation" from residents with the voluntary water conservation. "And it needs to continue. I've had several calls regarding when we will lift this voluntary use restriction, and until we get a good soaking rain of a few inches it won't be lifted because that's what's helping us maintain pressure, as Gary said."

"If you are going to water, which we haven't banned, don't do it in the full sun and don't do it high in the air so that by the time it hits the ground where it needs to go it's half gone," Cooke said.