As temperatures approach triple digits across New York state this week, we’re all going to need more water. Whether you’re drinking it, swimming at a pool or taking kids to enjoy sprinklers, it’s going to be in higher demand.
Water authorities across the state say they’re ready.
“We are just really fortunate in upstate New York to have the abundance of water that we have," said Jeff Brown, the executive director of the Onondaga County Water Authority.
As public safety leaders deal with the heat this week, officials say the amount of water we use shouldn’t be a problem.
“Overall, total capacity of water that can be produced is over 70 million gallons a day," said Geoff Miller, the executive director of operations for OCWA. "We're using an average 36 million gallons a day. So there is additional capacity there.”
According to the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation, approximately 9 billion gallons of water are withdrawn every day in upstate New York. As heat index values possible exceed 100 degrees, water becomes even more important.
“A lot of folks are utilizing sprinklers to water their lawns," Brown said. "Pools need to be filled, and people are filling their water bottles more frequently because they're getting dehydrated.”
OCWA expects a 50% increase in water usage this week with similar increases throughout the state as well.
“Yesterday, we were running about, 42 million gallons a day," Miller said. "So we're seeing the ramp up. We're expecting that usage is going to go up higher today, and then higher again tomorrow as well.”
While they have more than enough water, they’re also prepared for any emergencies. OCWA has 63 storage facilities with 170 million gallons of water.
“Our storage facilities are distributed throughout our system and they provide capacity exactly where we need it at any given moment," said Anson Bettinger, the water distribution manager for OCWA. "These two tanks right behind us are two 15 million-gallon reservoirs.”
According to the Centers for Disease, Control and Prevention, more than 1,200 people are killed by extreme heat every year in the United States.
“We're in a good situation right now, but let's see where this summer takes us," Brown said.