By BRIAN HODGE
and SARAH STEPHENS

Water woes are bearing down on many parts of the country this summer and of course Millbrook is no exception.
A number of water systems that offer service in and around Millbrook are asking their users to limit water uses for purposes of irrigation.
Michael Harris, utility administrator for the City of Millbrook, is asking residents to limit water usage. Beginning this week, even number addresses may water lawns on even number days of the month. Odd number addresses may water lawns on odd numbered days.
Waste not, want not is the general rule of thumb right now.
“Do not allow your sprinkler to water your driveway or road,” Harris said.
“Do not water during the day when the heat will cause the water to evaporate.”
Ken Jones, superintendent for the Tri-Community Water system, said that the new well which was installed behind the system’s office at 2630 Main Street in Millbrook will not be able to provide any relief from the ongoing drought.
“The new well will not be ready until the fall. We could rush all we wanted to and it still wouldn’t be available to use until the fall, because right now we are going through the regulatory process and you just can’t speed that process along,” Jones said.
Tri-Community Water has already asked their members (Tri-Community Water is a cooperative and therefore they have members rather than customers) to restrict their water usage for lawns and irrigation to either even or odd dates to correspond to their address.
Elmore Water  Authority has also gone to the odd-even system. General Manager Billy Eddings said, “If every customer adheres to the odd-even system we may can make it through the summer.”
With a record-setting drought putting a chokehold on central Alabama, there is no immediate help on the horizon, according to weather experts.
Normally by this time of year, the area would have seen close to 27 inches of rain. Not even half of that has been recorded over the past six months.
Agriculture is taking a heavy toll, and livestock could suffer as ponds and creeks begin to dry up.
“It isn’t unheard of for us to ask people to conserve water, but this year is pretty bad. Worse than some I have seen,” Harris said.
“Right now we are just requesting it, but it is very possible that people could be fined in the future. We don’t want it to come to that, so we are asking people to cooperate.”
Harris and weather experts agree that it will take a substantial, soaking rain over several days to bring the area back into safety zones where water and threat of fire is concerned.
All of the area is under a fire alert, which means conditions are extremely favorable for a single spark to ignite a woodland fire.