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NEWS BRIEFS
Ky. county stricken by water shortage getting help
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A small Appalachian county in Kentuckytype:italic; was coping with its third week of a severe water shortage by asking residents to conserve at the tap and seeking outside help.
Drinking water donations were flowing into Magoffin County on Monday, but officials said the best remedy would be a heavy rainfall to replenish the county’s main water source, the Licking River.
“Until we get two to three inches of rain, I think we’ll be” under the conservation advisory, said Thomas Howard, superintendent of Salyersville Water Works, which serves the entire county of about 13,000.
Gov. Steve Beshear declared a water emergency in the county on Friday, and Salyersville and county leaders met on Monday to discuss the ongoing crisis.
Residents were being asked to conserve water for a second straight week, while local businesses and schools have been told to minimize water use by switching to disposable utensils and shutting off soda and ice machines.
“This is extraordinary, it really is,” said Chris Yeary, an official with the state Division of Water. “For that area of the state, you can say that it’s really a drought as bad as we’ve seen as far as precipitation deficits.”
