Weather Camera Link
Please follow the link below to the Baron Weather Station mounted to our water tank at our office.
Select the full screen map and then click on our camera location. The picture
Many thanks to Baron Institute for supplying the camera and hardware and to our employees for installing it.
Voluntary Water Conservation
February 7, 2025 – Update
The drought conditions in the service area have improved to Moderate Drought conditions. Ground water levels have improved, but are not fully recovered. Future projections indicate conditions will continue to improve. Given that conditions are improving and the Authority is no longer purchasing supplemental water, the Voluntary Water Conservation request of it’s customers is being removed.
December 31, 2024 -Update
Even with the rain we have received, the area remains in a Severe Drought. However, the rain has been enough to provide some recharge to the aquifer.
December 23, 2024 -Update
Rainfall last week substantially raised ground water levels. The Burwell water plant is now able to treat water at 70% of its capacity. The latest drought monitor show our area has improved to a severe drought. We maintained tank levels at 80% or better for the past weekend and will be disconnecting the supplemental pump from Huntsville before the Christmas Holiday.
December 13, 2024 – Update
The area continues to be in Extreme Drought conditions. Rain during the week did improve well levels. Rain is projected in the near forecast and should continue to improve conditions.
Progress continues on leak repairs, but has been hampered by the weather and the holidays.
November 22, 2024 – Update
The area received some rain this week. The wells are maintaining the levels from the previous week as a result. This weeks Alabama Drought Monitor continues to list our area as being in an Extreme Drought.
Crews will be concentrating on the Areas of:
Woods End
Pine Grove Road
Indian Valley – Complete
Harvest Place – Complete
November 15, 2024 -Update
Rain this week allowed the wells to recharge a couple of feet. We have been able to increase the amount we are pumping from them slightly, and decrease the amount we are purchasing from Huntsville Utilities.
November 8, 2024 – Update
A slight increase in the well levels occurred this week due to the rain the area received. With more rain predicted in the near future the wells should gain even more. They are still much lower than we typically see this time of year, but the increase this week is promising.
Crews have completed the repairs in the in the Timber Creek Subdivision, Hammond Road, and Ed Johnson Road areas. One repair remains on Harvest Road.
Next Areas of Concentration
Week of November 11, 2024
Magnolia Springs
Rachel’s Place – Near Complete
Beverly’s Place – Near Complete
Mossy Oak – Complete
November 4, 2024 – Update
The tanks were able to gain water over the weekend. The rain the area received last week was not enough to help the well levels, but more rain is expected this week. Until the wells recharge, we will still have a reduced pumping capacity.
Crews completed repairs in the Cross Creek Subdivision and are moving to the Timber Creek Subdivision, Harvest Road, Hammond Road and Ed Johnson Road this week.
October 30, 2024 – Update
Tank levels are continue to be at a low level and there has been no improvement in the the well levels.
Crews are working in the Cross Creek subdivision and Dupree Drive.
October 25, 2024 – Update
Please, no outside watering this weekend. The water in the wells continues to get lower and we are having to reduce how much we pump from them to preserve what is left. Currently we are at 70% of what we normally can treat and with no significant rainfall in the near future we do not expect these conditions to improve.
Repair work continues. Our crews have repaired 37 leaks this week and the outside contractors have repaired 12. Work is continuing in the Thomas Manor, Overland Trace, and Monrovia Junction Subdivisions. This work is being done by a contractor. The Melody Circle and Lark Lane repairs are complete and all repairs in Hermitage are near complete. Our crews will be focusing on the subdivisions of Cross Creek, Pike Farms and Autumn Branch next week.
We ask that our customers voluntarily not water lawns this weekend. If the voluntary conservation does not reduce the amount of water being used, we will be forced to implement Mandatory Restrictions.
October 22, 2024 – Update
We have been able to maintain tank levels, but we are not able to gain. This is due to the amount of water we can pump from the wells is decreasing. This will not improve until the areas gets some much needed rain. Weather forecast do not show much of a chance of rain until the end of the month. So please continue to limit any outside watering until conditions improve.
October 17, 2024 – Update
Thanks to the conservation efforts of our customers, the water levels in our tanks have increased 10% since the yesterday morning. Please continue to limit watering your lawn until Monday the 21st.
REPAIRS – Contract crews are beginning work in Thomas Manor, Overland Trace and Monrovia Junction Subdivision as well as Melody Circle and Lark Lane.
October 14, 2024 – Update
Mechanical issues with the booster pump over the weekend, combined with increased usage, resulted in the tanks at a low level Monday morning. Repairs are being made to the pump and it should be operational mid-day on Monday. Please do not water lawns until tank levels increase.
October 11, 2024 – Update
The area continues to be in a Moderate Drought. The water levels in the wells have continually dropped and are back at the critical level. Their is very little chance of rain predicted for the next 10 days.
To assist our crews in repairing leaks, we have four contract crews that will begin working for us next week. Our plan is to have the contract crews focus on a single subdivision, complete all the repairs, then be assigned another subdivision. Our crews will work on the leaks not assigned to the contractors. Our web site will be updated with the subdivisions assigned to the outside crews.
September 30, 2024 – Update
Our area did not receive very much of the anticipated rain over the weekend. The water level in the wells have risen slightly from the rain, but not enough to allow us to not ask to continue conservation efforts.
September 23, 2024 – Update
The area remains in a Moderate Drought, with the northern portion of our service area in a Sever Drought. Recent rainfall had little affect on well levels. The water in the wells are down to a critical level. The weather forecast for the remainder of the week looks promising to receive much needed rain in the area. Please irrigate as little as possible.
September 5, 2024 – Update
WATER RESTRICTIONS: IFORMATION
FAQ’s
Harvest Monrovia is a well system that pumps raw water from eight (8) wells. Since there has not been enough rainfall in the area to recharge the aquifers that the wells pump from, the amount of water that can be pumped has been greatly reduced. The Authority has the capacity to treat over 13 million gallons per day, but the wells will currently only produce 10 million gallons per day. Also due to the lack of rainfall, there has been a drastic increase in the amount of irrigation usage across the system.
The increase in usage combined with a decrease in the amount of water that is available for the Authority to treat is the reason for asking customers to voluntarily conserve water.
HOW MUCH CAN THE AUTHORITY TREAT?
PLANT CAPACITY CURRENT MAX
BURWELL WTP 10 MGD 7.8 MGD
Mt. ZION WTP 3.1 MGD 2.9 MGD
TOTALS 13.1 MGD 10.7 MGD SHORT 2.4 MGD
WHY IS THE CAPACITY DOWN?
The drawdown in two of the wells has gotten to the point where they can only be pumped at the rate they will produce, not the permitted capacity. The pumping rate is adjusted by watching the drawdown. The rate of pumping is reduced until the depth of water in the well remains steady.
Well # 4
Under normal conditions well #4 can be pumped up to 4,800 gallons per minute. Currently, the maximum that can be pumped consistently is 1,800 gallons per minute.
Well #5
Under normal conditions well #5 can be pumped up to 650 gallons per minute. Currently, the maximum that can be pumped consistently is 300 gallons per minute.
The decrease in these two wells is 3 million gallons of water per day.
ARE ALL THE LEAKS THE REASON?
The Authority has 20,757 meters on the system and 700 miles of water mains to maintain. We have leaks. Some of the leaks have been there longer than anyone wants, because, the worst gets fixed first. The Authority has 374 leaks that are active (9/3/24). This is more than we normally have, but with the amount of underground construction and additional work that our crews have had to do, it happened. It sounds like a huge number, but that is less than 2% of the services that have a leak.
HOW MUCH ARE THEY LEAKING?
A ¾” service line cut in half will lose 10 – 12 gallons per minute. We do not have any of these on our leak list. Those leaks are fixed immediately. If a leak is causing customer to have significant pressure loss, those are fixed immediately.
We rank leaks on a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the worst.
RANK #of LEAKS Loss (GPM)est. Loss Total
5 20 3.5 70
4 38 2 76
3 152 1.50 228
2 81 1 81
1 83 .25 20
TOTAL 475 gpm
HOW MUCH IS THE AUTHORITY PUMPING?
Burwell 5,000 gpm
Mt. Zion 2,000 gpm 475 gpm is 4.8% of the amount currently being pumped.
Madison 800 gpm
Huntsville 2,125 gpm
TOTAL 9,925 gpm
WHAT IS THE AMOUNT OF WATER LOSS?
Water loss or unaccounted for water, is reported monthly to ADEM. This water loss considers leaks, flushing, water used at the plants to backwash filters, meters that are not reading and theft. Water loss is calculated as a percentage of the raw water pumped to the amount sold. An acceptable water loss is under 20%. The Authority averages around 18%. This number fluctuates monthly because the pumping records go from the first day of the month to the last day, but the meters are read throughout the month. For example, a customer’s meter may be read around the 5th day of the month, every month. If a meter is read on August 5th, only 5 days of usage was recorded during the month of August with most of the usage done in July. The average of several months gives a more accurate picture. The loss recorded for the months of May to August were 23%, 18%, 9%, and 28% respectively. This is an average of 19.5%.
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY LEAKS?
In the last few years, there have been shortages in repair parts, meters, equipment, trucks, and employees. Lack of repair parts forced us to be extremely selective in what leaks were fixed. The supply of parts is more available, but repairs were behind. There has also been an increase in underground cable installations. Many of the leaks we have repaired have the newly installed cable under the leak. A nick to the service line may not leak till months later or if it is leaking may not be noticed immediately.
DO THE CREWS JUST FIX LEAKS?
The crews not only fix water leaks. They are responsible for meter installations, wastewater repairs and grass cutting. In 2024, they set 250 new meters, and completed 24 wastewater repairs along with fixing 845 water leaks. They also had to complete the EPA required Lead and Copper service line evaluation of both the Authority’s line and the customers line this year. This involved digging up both sides of the meter to determine what material was used to serve the home. Approximately 3,500 of the homes served had to be dug up to see the piping material on both sides.
WHY NOT CONTRACT OUT REPAIRS?
Using a plumbing company to assist seems like an obvious choice, but the type of materials used in a water system is different from what typical residential plumbing is. Some repairs require the water main to be shut off to repair. Outside companies are not familiar with where our valves are and how we flush the lines once service is restored.
A contractor that specializes in underground utility construction, such as installing water mains inside a subdivision, are familiar with the materials a water system uses. Eighteen jobs were contracted out to this type contractor in May of this year. Only nine of them have been completed.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT?
We have been attempting to have a third crew to fix leaks. Each crew needs trucks and a backhoe, an equipment operator and two laborers. In April of 2024 the equipment needed had arrived and June of 2024 is when we were able to have three equipment operators in the Maintenance Department. No candidates outside the Authority applied for the position. Existing employees were trained and able to obtain the required CDL license. Two laborer positions are currently open. Once the three crews can be productive, we will be able to repair more of the leaks. A fourth crew will be needed at some point, but that will require not only the manpower, but also the equipment.
Two additional wells are also being developed. These will not completely meet the needs of the Authority, but other potential well locations are being pursued. The potential to increase the amount of water to purchase is also being investigated.
August 28, 2024 – Update
The Authority is continuing to purchase water from Madison Utilities and Huntsville Utilities and was able to maintain the tank levels at a reasonable level until this morning. A significant increase in usage was seen and the storage tank levels dropped rapidly. Madison Utilities has temporarily reduced the amount of water the Authority is able to purchase.
Harvest Monrovia is a well system that pumps raw water from eight (8) wells. Since there has not been enough rainfall in the area to recharge the aquifers that the wells pump from, the amount of water that can be pumped has been greatly reduced. The Authority has the capacity to treat over 13 million gallons per day, but the wells will currently only produce 10 million gallons per day. Also due to the lack of rainfall, there has been a drastic increase in the amount of irrigation usage across the system.
The increase in usage combined with a decrease in the amount of water that is available for the Authority to treat was the reason for asking for Voluntary Restrictions. The situation is being closely monitored and these restrictions will be removed as soon as practical. However, if the conditions do not improve, the Authority will have to make the restrictions mandatory.
Please remember to conserve and with the current Conservation Level, we ask customers to not water on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
August 16, 2024 – Update
We are meeting current demands for water and have been able to maintain tank levels over the last few days, but have not been able to gain extra. This is causing low pressure concerns for our customers at the higher elevations of the system. We have been purchasing additional water from Madison Utilities for most of the summer and on Tuesday August 13th we installed our portable booster pump to purchase additional water from Huntsville Utilities. This afternoon, Huntsville Utilities is further assisting us by providing another booster pump to get additional water into the system. The hope is that this additional connection will allow us to start filling the tanks and not just maintain the current level.
Our crews are out and will be working this weekend, but we need your assistance. Please remember, based on our current Level 2 Conservation Plan, we are asking our customers not to water lawns on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
August 14, 2024
Due to increasing dry conditions and declining water levels we are implementing our Level 2 Conservation Plan.
Proper management of water is essential to ensure an ample supply for present needs and future needs. Part of the overall Plan is to protect the limited resource of the Harvest-Monrovia Water and Sewer Authority. The Plan will be implemented when it is deemed necessary to protect the water source or the public health. Conditions will be monitored and levels updated as necessary. This is a link to the Alabama Drought Monitor site, https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?AL
The Conservation Plan consists of the following four levels.
Declared conditions for Level 1: Voluntary reduction in outside water use. No watering on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
Declared conditions for Level 2: Further voluntary reduction in outside water use. No watering of lawns except on Monday and Wednesday for even numbered addresses and Tuesday and Thursday for odd numbered addresses. No watering on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
Declared conditions for Level 3: Mandatory water reduction. Outdoor water use is prohibited, except on Monday and Wednesday between the hours of 12 midnight and 4 am for even addresses and Tuesday and Thursday between the hours of 12 midnight and 4 am for odd addresses. No outside water use shall occur outside of these mandated hours and days. No watering of any kind on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fines may be administered for noncompliance with mandatory restrictions.
Declared conditions for level 4: Absolutely no outside water use of any kind. No watering of lawns, washing cars or use on construction sites. Fines will be administered for any outside water use along with possible flow restrictions and disconnections of service if restrictions are not adhered too.
Mike Oliver
General Manager