Arizona town facing severe water restrictions as supply could run out by summer

KEARNY, Ariz. - Kearny, Arizona has implemented severe water restrictions after the mayor said the city's water allotment could run out sometime this summer.

Timeline:

An emergency water decree went out in January, asking people to cut back on water usage, but the usage went up.  Now that severe restrictions are in place, residents are starting to cut back a bit.

But even then, Kearny will likely use up its water allotment by July 15.

What we know:

Kearny has a population of around 2,000 people. But this small town has a big problem.

"The reality of it is scary," resident Cheyenne Gilliam said. "We’re trying to save water by doing shorter showers in our household, but it’s hard because our kids like to take long showers."

By the numbers:

Kearny gets its water from the nearby Gila River. Its usual allotment is 600 acre-feet. But this year, based on lake levels, the allotment was cut by more than 80%. The town is already down to 60 acre feet left, according to Curtis Stacy, the mayor and a long-time resident.

"It’s gonna be in the middle of the summer. A lot of these people here are older, and they still use operative coolers for cooling your house. It’s uninhabitable that 115 to 120°," Mayor Stacy said. 

The city is asking residents to conserve by 30%, meaning no car washes, watering your lawn, or filling your pool. And if possible, shorter showers and fewer laundry days.

Local perspective:

Businesses are trying to conserve, and already seeing cutbacks.

"I know that it’s kind of slowed our work down just because people are afraid to invest in their properties because they’re not sure what’s gonna happen in the long time right," local businessman Kelly Gilliam said. 

"We’re gonna have to shut down the car wash as a courtesy of the town to conserve water we have over $100,000 with a landscaping that we put into beautify Main Street that that’s gonna take a little bit of a hit," another local businessman Robert Rice said. 

Dig deeper:

But at this rate, the mayor expects Kearny to run out of its allotted water supply in about three short months, and he’s very worried about what that might mean.

"I’m not going to kill anybody," Mayor Stacy said. 'I don’t know how else to put it. It’s a life and death problem."

What's next:

The mayor said when the town's allotment runs out, there will likely be water running through the Gila River on the edge of town. But they technically won’t be allowed to use it. He said after that is when we get into uncharted waters.