NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Could concern over an endangered species dry out an entire community? That’s the question in Tullahoma.

Video: Drought Could Weaken River's Mussel Population

Water levels are dropping in the Normandy Reservoir and some middle Tennessee cities are hoping the Tennessee Valley Authority will release less water from the dam to save the water supply.

But, doing that could put the river’s rare mussel population at risk.

Shannon Williams isn't going to wait for Tullahoma to run out of water. She said she's taking action.

"We've been buying bottles of water. We've been buying containers of water but we are concerned. We're just going to make do with what we can,” she said.

Levels at Normandy Lake are dropping a foot every 10 days.

And, if it doesn’t rain, Tullahoma and Manchester could be out of water by the end of the year.

The state has asked the TVA to release less water from Normandy Dam so it can preserve what it has.

"The problem is when you reduce the amount of water coming from the Normandy Dam, you reduce the amount of water flowing into the Duck River, a river which is home to rare river mussels,” said Doug Murphy of the Duck River Agency.

The Duck River has one of the most diverse mussel populations in the world.

Some of the endangered species of mussels live along the Duck River's shore lines and in shallow areas.

Those who work with mussels said releasing less water into the river could put those mussels at risk, and Murphy said federal regulations about water releases from reservoirs are in place for those reasons.

"We have to protect the water quality to protect the mussel, and we have to have water to protect the mussels too. So it's a balancing act between water consumption and natural resources,” Murphy said.

But he said that's why it's important for residents in the area to conserve so that neither the natural resources nor the water customer will have to lose out.

Williams is taking the conservation orders seriously and she's urging her neighbors to do the same.

"Try not to use the water. If you're going to water your plants, just let them go. Unfortunately just let them die versus us running out of water. We have got to really be careful and that means everybody,” she said.

She said she's hanging up her hose and letting her fountain dry up and will just live with her dead lawn if it means having water to shower and drink at the end of the year.

If the TVA agrees to change the water release levels, environmentalists said they will set up monitoring equipment along the river to make sure the mussels aren't impacted.