Navy asks some sailors in Japan to conserve water with 5-minute showers, full wash loads due to drought

Sailors and family members at a Navy base in southwestern Japan were asked Thursday to conserve water as a worsening drought threatens to force restrictions in the surrounding city.

Months of scant rainfall have depleted Sasebo’s reservoirs, prompting the city to ask residents, including those at Sasebo Naval Base, to reduce consumption, base spokesman Aki Nichols said by email Thursday.

If conditions continue to deteriorate, the city may reduce water pressure and eventually impose hours when water is available, according to a Thursday post on the base’s Facebook page.

The shortage is not affecting the base’s water supply or Navy operations “at this time,” Nichols said.

However, those in Hario Village, Dragon Vale, Fiddler’s Green and main-base housing were asked to eliminate unnecessary water use, according to the post.

The base recommended residents limit showers to five minutes, run washing machines only with full loads and ensure faucets and other fixtures are not left running.

The Sasebo City Water Works Bureau warned Aug. 21 that the rainy season ended 11 days earlier than usual and “since then, there has been almost no rainfall.”

The city declared drought level 4 on Monday, established a drought countermeasures headquarters and called for voluntary conservation.

If current conditions persist, the Shimonoharu Dam, which supplies southern Sasebo, could fall below 50% capacity by Sept. 10 and below 30% by the end of September, “potentially causing serious disruptions to the water supply,” according to the water bureau.

Hario Village is in the Southern District, where reservoirs were at 65.7% capacity Wednesday, according to the base. The Hario Ordnance Facility also draws its water from southern Sasebo, where the shortage is more severe, a city water bureau official said by phone Thursday.

Most Navy housing is in the Central District, where reservoirs were at 82.8% capacity Wednesday.

The city’s water supply was between 97% and 98% at this time last year, according to the water bureau.

Sasebo typically stores rainfall from the summer months to supplement its reservoirs during drier periods later in the year, the water bureau official said.

“We have requested cooperation in conserving water,” the official said.

The main base draws its water from central Sasebo, while the Hario facilities rely on the more depleted southern supply, the water bureau official said.

The naval base is Sasebo’s largest organizational water customer, followed by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Huis Ten Bosch resort and theme park, the official said.

Some Japanese government officials must speak to the press on condition of anonymity.