The odds of a major disaster stemming from Wolf Creek Dam are very small. But the staff here at the Monticello Utility Commission wants to give you some pointers and resources to learn more about preparing yourself and family in case of a disaster in your area.

Be prepared in case a disaster were to strike.

After a disaster, local officials and relief workers will be on the scene, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it may take days. A Disaster Supplies Kit can help your family stay safe and be more comfortable after a disaster.

Keep the items that you would most likely need during an evacuation in an easy-to-carry container. Below is a not all inclusive list of what should be included in your kit.

Water

Store water in plastic containers such as soft drink bottles. Avoid using containers that will decompose or break, such as milk cartons or glass bottles. A normally active person needs to drink at least two quarts of water each day. Store one gallon of water per person per day. Keep at least three-day supply of water per person (two quarts for drinking, two quarts for each person in your household for food preparation/sanitation).

Food

Store at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food. Select foods that require no refrigeration, preparation or cooking, and little or no water.

First Aid Kit

Assemble a first aid kit for your home and one for each car.

Non-Presciption Drugs

Tools and Supplies

For more detailed information on how to build a disaster supply kit to protect your family. Please visit the links provided below.

www.homelandsecurity.ky.gov

www.redcross.org/prepardness/cdc_english/CDC.asp

www.ready.gov

www.protectyourfamily.ky.gov

Construction is currently underway at Wolf Creek Dam to build a new cutoff wall to prevent any further water seepage in the bedrock. Since March 2005, Lake Cumberland has been held at nearly constant water levels to reduce the stresses placed on the structure and it's foundation In late January 2007, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers placed the dam under a "high risk" for failure designation. The project to repair Wolf Creek Dam began in 2006, and it is expected to extend until 2014. Monticello Utility Commission has addressed the lowering of the lake level and the minute possibility of a failure of Wolf Creek Dam.



Monticello Utility Commission has undertaken steps to ensure water intake at 650 feet lake elevation. We also have a plan of action if the lake level should fall below 650 feet. To mitigate any dangers to our community the Monticello Utility Commission has recognized that different water uses are of differing levels of importance to the people of our community. Thus, conservation measures must be applied differently to different classes of water use, based on their importance to the community.

Monticello Water Treatment Plant staff, from left to right, Glen Stephens and Jason Necessary.

Monticello Utility Commission will keep residential customers with service. We will keep water service to our local hospial and to our nursing homes. We will do our best to continue to provide high quality water to the community as long as circumstances are controllable. If service is interupted, we will restore services to all customers as soon as possible.

Tips on How to Save Water

1.  Check your toilet for leaks. Put a few drops of food coloring in your toilet tank. If, without flushing, the coloring begins to appear in the bowl, you have a leak that may be wasting more than 100 gallons of water a day. Fix it.
2.  Put a plastic bottle in your toilet tank. Put an inch or two of sand or pebbles in the bottom of a quart bottle to weigh it down. Fill the rest of the bottle with water and put it in your toilet tank, safely away from the operating mechanism. In an average home, the bottle may save five gallons or more of water everyday without harming the efficiency of the toilet.
3.  Take a shorter shower. A typical shower uses five to ten gallons of water per minute. Limit your showers to the time it takes to soap up, wash and rinse off.
4.  Install water-saving shower heads. Your hardware or plumbing supply store stocks inexpensive shower heads or flow restrictors that will cut your shower flow up to three gallons a minute instead of five to ten.
5.  Take baths. A partially filled tub uses less water than all but the shortest showers.
6.  Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Before brushing, wet your brush and fill a glass for rinsing your mouth.
7.  Turn off the water while shaving. Fill the bottom of the sink with a few inches of warm water in which to rinse your razor.
8.  Check faucets and pipes for leaks. Even a small drip can waste 50 or more gallons of water per day!
9.  Use automatic diswasher for full loads only. Everytime you run your dishwasher, you use up to 25 gallons of water.
10.  Use your washing machine for full loads only. Your automatic washer uses 30 to 35 gallons a cycle. Too much for a few shirts.