By Robert Wilson
Knoxville News-Sentinel
Copyright 2007 Knoxville News-Sentinel Co.
All Rights Reserved
MARYVILLE, Tenn. — With East Tennessee broiling under a relentless August sun, health problems, fire danger and possible mandatory water conservation measures are all hovering over the area with no relief in sight.
It’s hot out there, with temperatures nudging triple digits, humidity way lower than normal, and rainfall totals nearly 13 inches below average for the year.
Fields and forests are tinderboxes needing only the smallest spark to ignite. Heat-related ambulance calls are up noticeably in Blount County, and Maryville is on the edge of imposing limits on nonessential water use as the flow of its water source, the Little River, continues to diminish.
Blount County Fire Chief Doug McClanahan said Wednesday that the high temperatures, lack of rain, and humidity below 50 percent have combined to raise the danger of brush and forest fires to extreme levels.
“It’s not the time of year for brush fires,” McClanahan said. “They normally start in October.”
But on Tuesday, his department fought three brush fires in temperatures that reached the upper 90s.
“In these extremely dry conditions, we are cautioning anybody that if they have to burn, don’t leave the fire, and have all the protections - water hose and tools - to put the fire out at hand,” he said. “We would prefer that they not burn.”
McClanahan said he gets “concerned” when humidity drops below 50 percent because it raises the potential for fire.
With 300 square miles to cover, the Blount County Fire Department is responsible for more open land and mountain acreage than its counterparts in the cities of Maryville or Alcoa, he said.
Maryville has watched the flow of the Little River drop nearly to levels that will trigger mandatory conservation measures for both residents and businesses.
According to Pam Arnett, city public information officer, if the flow at the Maryville water plant on Sevierville Road hits 40 cubic feet per second, under a permit with the Environmental Protection Agency, the city must implement mandatory water conservation restrictions.
On Wednesday, the flow was 42 cubic feet per second, and there was no reason to believe that would increase over the next few days.
“People aren’t really seeing the seriousness of the situation,” Arnett said, adding that if the mandatory restrictions are imposed, nonessential water uses such as washing cars, irrigating lawns and landscaping, and refilling swimming pools will be prohibited.
Alcoa also is experiencing water-shortage problems and is asking residents to voluntarily restrict water usage, but it has no ordinance in place to enforce mandatory measures.
Arnett said Maryville uses an estimated 5.9 million gallons of water a day this time of year, with about a third of that believed to be nonessential.
Right now, the South Blount County Utility District is furnishing Maryville with about 1 million gallons of water a day — at cost, according to South Blount Manager Henry Durant — to help the city through the dry spell.
South Blount gets its water from 20 feet below the surface of Tellico Lake and is experiencing no shortage, Durant said.
Alcoa has not requested help, he said.
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen on Wednesday issued a warning about the heat and fire conditions, urging the public to use “common sense” on what he termed a “serious public health issue.”
He said in a statement that he has alerted state agencies to be attentive to Tennesseans’ needs in coping with the heat and that the Department of Human Services has programs to help with the purchase of air conditioners and with utility bills.
A representative of Rural/Metro ambulance service in Blount County said there has been a noticeable uptick in heat-related ambulance calls in recent days as the area has sweltered under 90-plus temperatures for the entire month of August, with less than 1½ inches of rain tallied.
Ron Parker, operations manager for Blount County, said most heat-related calls involve people being outside, overexerting and not taking in enough fluids.
The elderly and children are most susceptible, he said, and his personnel look for signs of heat-borne problems in every patient they deal with this time of year, even if it is a routine transport.
John Brinkley, a Rural/Metro ambulance supervisor in Knox County, said his organization had not experienced an increase in heat-related cases.
Wednesday’s high tied a record at 99, and temperatures are forecast for 94 today and 95 Friday.