High Point is flush with water
High Point officials reported yesterday that weekend rains filled Oak Hollow and City lakes to 96 percent of capacity, only 6 inches below full.
Amazing. But City Lake looked higher than that to me today as I jogged along the Bicentennial Greenway from the Piedmont Environmental Center to Gallimore Dairy Road. Much of the route traces the Deep River as it flows toward City Lake.
The river was rushing along, with strong currents producing whitewater where the elevation dropped.
After months of drought, December produced normal rainfall and suddenly High Point's reservoirs are back to normal. It shows that these man-made lakes drain a wide area, multiplying the impact of any rain.
By no means do I think High Point residents should resume wasting water as usual. Those old habits will bring us trouble in the future -- not because our climate will be drier but because growth means we have to share our supplies with more people.
Consumption decreases during the winter, so if rainfall approaches normal in the months ahead we'll avoid the need to impose mandatory restrictions for quite a while, at least. But everyone should practice conservation to help make sure we're always flush with water.
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