Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Page 1

The University of Oklahoma’s independent student voice since 1916

W E D N E S DA Y, M A Y 1, 2 013

W W W.O U DA I LY.C O M

2 012 S I LV E R C R O W N W I N N E R

A SPECIAL REPORT BY THE OKLAHOMA DAILY

Water woes remain Conservation still needed as recent rainfall won’t end drought ARIANNA PICKARD Campus Editor

Despite recent rainfall, Oklahoma is still well below average annual precipitation levels, and it will take more than a few days of rain to pull the state of this drought. Droughts must be examined on a longer timescale than a day, week or month, Kyle Murray, hydrogeologist at the Oklahoma Geological Survey, said in an email. One year or longer is more appropriate to assess the drought or moisture status. Murray said he cringed when he was watching a weather channel a couple weeks ago while southwestern Oklahoma was getting up to six inches of precipitation and the meteorologist said something to the effect of “this storm will end the drought.” “Not even close,” Murray said. “A few days of rain do not make up for 3 years of a shortfall.” Statewide precipitation over the last year was almost 10 inches below average, he said. The average annual amount of precipitation is 34 inches, and over the last 365, Oklahoma has been 9.75 inches behind that. From 2010 to 2012 was Oklahoma’s third driest period since precipitation first started being recorded in 1895, Murray said. Periodic droughts can be expected in Oklahoma because of uneven spatial and temporal distribution of rainfall, Murray said. However, it takes the same amount of time to get out of a drought condition as it does to get into one, Murray said. “We would need a two- to three-year period of higher-than-average precipitation to balance out the previous two to three dry years,” he said. This long period of drought has inspired agencies and individuals in the state to increase effort to conserve water and moniter its use.

Declaring independence OU considering attempts to supply its own water AJINUR SETIWALDI Campus Reporter

OU officials are considering conserving water by supplying campus with water only from its own sources instead of buying water from the City of Norman. Because Norman’s water supply is still low because of the current drought in Oklahoma, mandatory conservation measures are in place, according to the 2013 Water Rationing Report released April 24, by the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality. Because of the city’s conservation efforts, OU officials are discussing whether OU should remain reliant on city water or be completely self-sufficient, said Brian Ellis, director of OU Facilities Management. OU used to get drinking water from university water wells, but because the wells did not meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for arsenic levels in drinking water, the university had to shift to using water from the city in 2008, Ellis said. In 2001, the EPA adopted new standards for arsenic in drinking water SEE WATER PAGE 2

Senior Sooner blogs about ‘living simply’ L&A: Maggie Cannon, advertising senior, writes about being a college student and becoming an adult. (Page 6)

VOL. 98, NO. 142

Oklahoma City needs second scoring option to emerge ILLUSTRATION BY MARY STANFIELD/THE DAILY

Sports: After losing Game 4 in Houston, the Thunder returns home for Game 5 at 8:30 tonight at Chesapeake Energy Arena. (Page 7)

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INSIDE TODAY Campus......................2 Clas si f ie ds................5 L i f e & A r t s ..................6 O p inio n.....................4 Spor ts........................7 Visit OUDaily.com for more


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