Concordia Parish water officials said Friday they agree with Gov. Mike Foster’s decision to appoint a committee to study the state’s sources of underground drinking water.

&uot;Some parts of the state are so industrialized that they use a large amount of groundwater, so it wouldn’t hurt to look at it,&uot; said Mark Morace, operator of Vidalia’s water plant.

&uot;I agree with it, because water is getting to be scarce not just here, but throughout the state and region,&uot; said Edgar Jones, president of the board of Concordia Waterworks District 1, which serves much of unincorporated Concordia Parish.

On Thursday, Foster said he will appoint a committee of experts in less than two weeks to determine if the state’s underground drinking water sources are in trouble.

While Vidalia’s groundwater supply is still in good shape, Jones can sympathize with other water systems around the state and nation who are facing limited water supplies.

Concordia Waterworks has been asking its more than 8,000 customers since late August to conserve water because drought conditions were depleting that system’s aquifer.

Otherwise, district officials said, the system could run out of water completely.

Between customers’ water usage and frequent line leaks due to shifting, dry ground, the system’s water demand was 1.15 million gallons a day in late August. That demand had dropped to 950,000 gallons a day by late September.

The system is still asking customers not to water their lawns and gardens or wash their vehicles and filling their pools until further notice, Jones said.

&uot;The cooler weather has helped us somewhat, but we’re still in bad shape,&uot; he added.