Drought won’t affect water rates, Houston Public Works says

HOUSTON COUNTY, Ga. — Each of us needs water to survive and that is especially true in this hot, humid summer weather.

“We have people in Houston County who have nice lawns and pump a lot of water,” Brian Jones said.

Jones is the operations manager at the county’s public works department.

Jim Taylor, another Houston County resident, has lived in Warner Robins for over 15 years with his family.

Taylor and his wife have seen many changes in the water pricing system since they arrived. When Taylor’s father-in-law acquired the house in the 1980s, he said it came with a well in the backyard.

Now they have designated areas in their front and back yards with sprinklers that run on a set schedule.

“So it was sort of grandfathered in,” Taylor explained. “We used this well for our sprinkler system and county water for our home.”

Jones said that although the county is currently experiencing warmer than average temperatures, the risk of drought is slim so he does not expect any water restrictions.

“I don’t anticipate Houston County imposing water restrictions unless we face a drought,” Jones said. “The last time we had a drought, we were way behind our precipitation averages. But we’re not now, so we shouldn’t impose water restrictions.”

The director explained that each year, the state Division of Environmental Protection allows Houston to pump a certain amount of water daily.

This year, Jones said, it is allowed to pump 18.4 million gallons per day year-round, but 27 million gallons per day during the summer months.

Don’t worry ; that’s offset by winter months, like January, when the county pumps about 12 million gallons, Jones said.

“The only thing that has an impact is how people use it,” Jones said.

Houston County’s largest water customer is the city of Warner Robins; they also sell to Perry and Centerville, according to Public Works.