Rain doesn’t quench all water problems

Weekend rains weren’t enough to erase the water worries in two western Iowa communities. Shenandoah water superintendent Rich Miller says there is half as much water as normal in the city’s water supply.The community of 55-hundred is served by eight wells near Shenandoah’s airport and another well in town. Over the weekend, Shenandoah received about four inches of rain, but Miller says water levels haven’t gone up much. He says if the river would come up and stay up for awhile, that would help.Miller says Shenandoahans have been asked to voluntarily conserve water. In Oakland, which is 20 miles east of Council Bluffs, the city of 15-hundred has voluntary water restrictions in place. For instance, the Oakland Foods beef and pork processing plant has reduced its water usage by one-third.Oakland public works director Mike Baragary, who says water levels in the 15 shallow wells which serve the town have dropped significantly since January.Baragary says Oakland got just over two inches of rain over the weekend, but the town’s wells didn’t rise much.