WASA warns — Water reserves low

WASA is appealing to consumers to conserve water as much as possible and has warned that the ban on hoses and sprinklers will continue until further notice. WASA said the negative impact of the abnormally dry period on the country’s water resources is expected to continue into the rainy season although there have been predictions of normal to above normal rainfall this month.

Water production has dropped by 39 million gallons a day at the country’s major reservoirs and river sources. Storage reserves stand at approximately 4.2 billion gallons as WASA continues to manage distribution to ensure availability of supplies to customers until the situation improves. Rainfall has been the lowest on record at stations monitored by the Meteorological Service in areas where WASA’s main water sources are located: Piarco, Arena, Navet and Hillsborough in Tobago. From December 2002 to May 2003, rainfall at the major reservoirs ranged from a low of 41 percent of normal at Hillsborough to a best of 49 percent of normal at Arena, the largest reservoir.