Mesa del water woes continue despite wet 2010

By Jim Keyworth
Gazette Blog Editor

Mesa del Caballo, Jan. 3 - As Mesa del Caballo faucets produce trickles or no water at all, this time apparently due to water line breaks, precipitation totals released today indicate the community had the wettest year since 2007.

A total of 31.43 inches fell on the community during 2010. This compares to just 14.3 inches in 2009 when monsoon rains were practically non-existent. The only higher total since 2004 was 32.37 inches in 2007.

The wettest month of 2010 was January, with a total of 9.7 inches. Wettest day of the year was Jan. 23 when 7.0 inches of precipitation was recorded. The 2010 monsoon season produced 13.85 inches compared to 3.75 inches last monsoon season.

Three months - March, April and May - tied for driest month of 2010. Just .2 inches was recorded in each of those three months leading up to the monsoon season.

Over the past seven years, Mesa del has averaged 22.21 inches per year - just about normal for the Rim Country. Yet the community has experienced water restrictions on numerous occasions as wells simply aren't replenishing.

The latest problem, which began this morning, is apparently the result of broken pipes throughout the community due to freezing temperatures, many in unoccupied homes of seasonal residents or people away from home for the holidays.

The Mesa del Caballo Water Committee, which is working with Brooke Utilities/Payson Water Company to improve the overall water situation in the community, issued the following statement to Mesa del residents this afternoon:

"As most of you may know there is little/no water pressure due to broken water lines at many homes in the community. We know of 2 just this morning on our street (Vista del Norte) where no one is there and the water lines have broken. Brooke has already turned their water off. Once we do get some water pressure back, please conserve (hold off doing laundry, dishes, etc. as much as possible) until the tanks can fill up."

As of this posting at 3:50 p.m. on Monday, water pressure was still minimal.

Mesa del Caballo is a community of some 400 homes on Houston Mesa Road northeast of Payson.