Decatur drought challenging records as lake level sinks

Numbers crunched by the National Weather Service Office in Lincoln say Decatur just had the second driest September since records began. That was in 1883, 142 years ago. 

“In September of 2025, you had 900 hundredths of an inch of rain, .09,” said meteorologist Mike Albano. 

“And I can also tell you that in the calendar year of 2025, Decatur is running a deficit of 3.66 inches on the year,” he added, describing the lack of rain compared to what would be expected normally. 

But he said it was that sharp fall off in September “that really makes the headlines and what’s really driving the burn bans and the water conservation measures.”

A news release from the city of Decatur said the lake, which is the main water source for Decatur and Mount Zion, is now 2.4 feet below normal level for this time of year.

As a result, the city has has asked families and businesses in Decatur and Mount Zion to voluntarily cut back on their water use with measures like taking short showers rather than filing the bath. But tougher, mandatory restrictions could be coming downstream soon if Mother Nature keeps the heavenly taps shut off and Lake Decatur continues to dry up. 

“We’re at 75% storage (capacity),” said Water Production Manager, Robert Weil. 

“And if we got down to 65% storage, we’d start to think about whether we needed to do some mandatory rationing. So it’s something that we’re definitely keeping an eye on.”

Previous big dredging projects have helped ease things by expanding the lake’s capacity, and Weil said water has been pulled in from other sources like wells in DeWitt County. But the measures only go so far. 

Weil said we need those clouds to come and rain on our parade real soon. “We have a wonderful watershed,” he said. “I mean, it just takes an inch of rainfall on our watershed to start to fill us back up again. We’re fortunate as compared to most other cities — our watershed is twice the size of Springfield’s watershed.”

There doesn’t look, right now, like much chance of the watery cavalry showing up in October, based on weather forecasts. Weil said said he has got his fingers crossed for November, however. 

“Long range forecasts and the drought outlook shows average rainfall predicted coming around the November timeframe here in this area,” said Weil. 

“And then they’re saying we could get a pretty good snowpack this year, too.”

Suggested water-saving measures from the City of Decatur: Only operate washing machines and dishwashers when full; take shorter showers and shower rather than bathing; don’t leave the taps running while washing hands, shaving or brushing teeth.

And, wash your cars at a business car wash rather than at home: Professional car washes recycle water.

The city says big business is also being asked to do its part to cut down water use. “We are communicating with the 24 largest water users for their assistance with conservation,” the city said in a news release.

Lake Decatur boat users are warned to be careful in the low water conditions and watch out for shallow water obstructions. And land owners with lakefront property are encouraged to take advantage of the retreating water levels to remove shoreline debris, as long as it is safe to do so.