CoLA water usage rises in July as county remains under drought warning

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

Customers of the City of Lebanon Authority (CoLA) used slightly more water in July than in June — despite being asked to reduce water usage by 10% to 15%.

CoLA’s request at the end of June was prompted by the Commonwealth Drought Task Force’s elevation of Lebanon County’s drought status from “watch” to “warning.” The county remains in “drought warning” status.

In June, customers averaged 6.45 million gallons a day (mgd), while in July usage was 6.47 mgd, said Tom Deitzler, CoLA executive director.

CoLA depends upon two surface water sources — the Swatara Creek and the Siegrist Reservoir. Both are lower than usual for this time of year, Deitzler told the authority board Monday.

“We are down more than 5 feet at the dam — a year ago, we had overflow,” Deitzler said. “We need rain.”

While parts of the county have had rain, other parts have not as evidenced by CoLA’s gauges. CoLA’s gauge at its treatment plant in Jonestown recorded 4.04 inches of precipitation in July, but at the Siegrist Dam, only 1.96 inches fell, Deitzler said.

“We can ask for conservation, but it is voluntary,” Deitzler said. “We know that not everybody is conserving, but we do appreciate those who are trying to conserve and do their part.”

In issuing drought determinations, the Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency consider precipitation as well as soil moisture, stream flow, and groundwater levels.

For CoLA, an additional trigger is when the Siegrist Reservoir falls below elevation of 680 feet, according to the authority’s drought contingency plan revised in 2024. The reservoir is considered full at 705 feet.

“The problem is when we go through a dry spell, we don’t know if it’s just a temporary summer drought or a prolonged drought,” Deitzler said in an email. “We anticipate early by asking customers to voluntarily conserve.”

In a related matter, the authority’s “safe yield” has been revised to 6.84 mgd, down from 7.03 mgd set in 2013. A safe yield provides CoLA with guidance as to how much water can be withdrawn daily without drawing the creek dry or depleting the stored water in the dam during a prolonged drought. CoLA had requested an update of the safe yield as part of its ongoing water supply study approved in April.

That study is investigating additional water sources that can be developed to meet future demand and growth. An additional supply also would allow CoLA to weather a sustained drought.

In other business, the board approved several sales of water capacity:

• 29 EDUs to Summit Land Development, Manor View Estates, $76,270.
• 24 EDUs to Mount Pleasant Ventures, Estates @ Hearthside, phase 2, $63,120.
• 8-inch fire line to Lebanon Transit, 200 Willow St., $8,160.

Also approved were sales of sewer capacity to:

• North Lebanon Township, Godshall’s, 6 EDUs, $12,540.
• South Lebanon Township, 413/441 Meadowview Drive, 2 EDUs, $4,180.

The board held an executive session to discuss a personnel matter and a potential property acquisition. No action was taken.

The City of Lebanon Authority Board meets at 2311 Ridgeview Road, Lebanon, on the second Monday of each month at 3 p.m. The next meeting will be Monday, Sept. 14. These meetings are open to the public and do not require registration.