Madison sees early spike in water use

posted June 12, 2017 – 10:41am

Water use in Madison is on the upswing. On Saturday, Madison Water Utility pumped 36.49 million gallons of water to homes and businesses across the city. That’s the most for any day in June since the drought of 2012. Over the past seven days, Madison Water Utility pumped an average of 31.8 million gallons a day, up more than 4 million gallons a day from the week before. The utility has recently brought two additional seasonal wells online to meet the increased demand. The spike in water use coincides with the recent dry spell and unusually warm weather.

Madison Water Utility encourages people to water outdoors in the morning or evening to cut down on water loss from evaporation. Customers can also see exactly how much water they’re using every day or even every hour with the utility’s online conservation tool. MWU is also launching a lighthearted music video featuring longtime Madison folk duo Lou and Peter Berryman to encourage conservation this summer.