We are astonished to report that Inverness has received 12.69 inches of rain since July 1. This is 82% of the total rainfall for all of last year!

A whopping 11.98 inches has fallen in October alone (a record; the previous record for October was 6.76 inches in 2016).

  Here’s our reaction to the unexpected rainfall bonanza:

•  Yay!

  Now the downside:

•  We have to shut down our treatment plants during heavy rains, because the streams become roiled and turbulent and the collection basins clog up with debris. Our treatment system’s microfilament membranes cannot handle the high turbidities. Until the rain stops and we can get into the watershed to clean out the ponds, the treatment plants are not operating and we rely solely on tank storage to provide you with water.
• This is why the tank levels sign on the boulevard in downtown Inverness has been showing declining percentages for the past several days.

•  Remember that each day the sign shows the average of how full the tanks have been over the past 7 days. Because this is a running average, it’s possible that on a day when the daily level has increased, the 7-day average may have decreased.
• The displayed percentage indicates how full the tanks are. If the 7-day average ever drops below 50%, rationing will be declared.  
• You can go to our website invernesspud.org to keep track of the daily levels, the 7-day averages, and even the exact number of gallons in storage each day.

 What does October’s seeming cornucopia of rain mean for the drought?

• Precipitation this early in the rainfall year may not count for much by next summer if there’s only scant rainfall during the coming months. (Actually, 4 inches in May is probably more helpful than 12 inches in October!)
• Until next spring, when we should have a better fix on how this rainfall year turns out, we need to keep the outdoor watering restriction in place. And we ask that you continue to moderate your water usage.
• YOU ARE DOING AN AMAZING JOB OF CONSERVING WATER! Based on the water bills that were mailed on Oct. 27, customer usage is down 46% from what we would expect at this time during a normal year. THANK YOU!

Special note to paperless billing customers:

• Your October water bill was emailed on October 27. If you haven’t found it in your Inbox, check your junk or spam folder. The sender address for our water bills has changed to dbs@diversifiedtechnology.com.
•  You should either enter this sender address as a contact in your email address book, or in Windows add this address on the Safe Senders tab under Junk Email Options.