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Dry conditions persisted in the watershed areas for Hulah and Copan lakes earlier this week, though cooler, wetter weather is forecast for later this week, Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen said this week.

However, Water Utilities Director Terry Lauritsen said it may take more than one rain to bring lake levels back to normal.

"While rain is predicted for later this week, the dry conditions in the Hulah and Copan watersheds suggest that it may take multiple rainfall events before we see significant inflows from any rain," Lauritsen said.

City water customers, which includes Bartlesville residents, Dewey, Ochelata, Ramona and several rural water districts, will no doubt recall the area underwent the second worst drought in recorded history beginning in December 2022 through most of 2023. The City implemented the Water Shortage Ordinance, also known as the Drought Contingency Plan, for the first time, resulting in outdoor watering restrictions and increased cost for high-use businesses and households.

The ordinance was modified in October 2023 to place more weight on the water supply sources upon which the area most heavily depends, Hulah Lake and the Caney River. Another change included steeper emergency rates for very high-use businesses, such as car washes.

The city will fall under the first stage of the four-stage ordinance, which calls only for public awareness efforts, if and/or when overall water remaining drops below 80 percent. It is currently 80.1%, with weighted water supply based on water right at 78%.

The City of Bartlesville has four water sources, which currently stand at the following levels:

Hulah – 74.5%

Copan – 79.0%

Hudson – 84.5%

Caney River – 100%

Average consumption last week was 6.22 million gallons per day, which is higher than typical for this time of year.