Officials of the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County asked for rain because dry conditions reduced water levels significantly at the beginning of 2024 and led to a mandatory water conservation order for customers.
God answered their prayers.
The recent rains have caused the water levels at the Beaver Run Reservoir in Washington and Bell townships to increase by 6 feet since Monday.
According to MAWC officials, around two billion gallons have been added to the reservoir, which provides drinking water to over 50,000 customers in the northern part of the authority’s service area.
Beaver Run Reservoir was constructed in 1952 and, as per authority officials, typically has an average elevation of 1,047.8 feet above sea level in April.
The recent rains have raised the reservoir’s elevation to 1,047.5 feet as of Thursday. Spokesman Matt Junker mentioned that an elevation of 1,050 feet indicates that the reservoir is at full capacity, a level last reached in April 2022.
When filled, the reservoir holds about 11 billion gallons. Officials stated that as of Thursday, the reservoir contained nearly 10.2 billion gallons. Water levels reached their lowest point on Jan. 9, when the reservoir’s elevation was at 1,032.2 feet and held just over five billion gallons.
The drought conditions were alleviated by rains during February. The authority canceled all conservation orders in early March.
According to Junker, the gauges at the reservoir recorded rainfall of 4.6 inches since April 1, and more than 15 inches in total have fallen since Jan. 9.
