University Takes Steps to Assist Water Conservation

A summer-long drought that continues to parch North Carolina's Piedmont region prompted the City of Durham this week to enact mandatory water conservation measures for all its water users, including Duke University.

Stage III Moderate Mandatory Conservation measures, which went into effect Monday, require the university to cut daily water usage by 30 percent or more. While Duke has applied for a special license to allow some flexibility in the restrictions, the university is still committed to meeting the quota, said Glenn Reynolds, associate director of the university's Facilities Management Department (FMD).

The university will follow similar conservation steps taken in 2002, the last time Durham faced a drought and enacted water conservation measures, Reynolds said. A significant part of the water savings is expected to come through a reduction in watering on the grounds and Duke Gardens.

"We're trying to do our part to be a good neighbor and a responsible part of the community," he said. "We're doing the same sort of things that people living in Durham have to do at their homes."

Changes being instituted by the university's grounds and maintenance crews include:

• Reducing by more than 30 percent the frequency and amount of time that irrigation systems are in operation.
• Cutting back on the watering of new trees and shrubs from thrice to twice weekly.
• Shutting off fountains, the waterfall and south lawn watering in DukeGardens.
• Attaching special watering containers, so-called "Gator Bags," to new plantings and stressed existing plants.
• Reducing by 40 percent the amount of water distributed by the university's water truck.

The university's efforts paid off in 2002, when local water usage restrictions stretched from June into October, said James Lim, conservation coordinator the City of Durham's Department of Water Management. The lessons learned during that experience are expected to pay dividends this time around.

Duke and the medical center are the largest water customers in Durham, averaging 1.47 million gallons per day, Lim said. Despite a request for voluntary conservation measures last month, the daily usage across the city is approaching 29 million gallons.

State climatologists predict little relief to the drought in the near future and Durham's water supplies continue to dwindle. LakeMichie was more than 13 feet below full at mid-week; Little River Reservoir had dropped to more than 20 feet below full. Durham is currently withdrawing about 3 million gallons of water per day from the EnoRiver as a supplemental water supply.

With mandatory restrictions in place -- including bans on washing cars and serving water in restaurants (except upon request) -- Durham officials expect to decrease the daily water demand by up to 20 percent.

If the special water license is approved, the university would gain some flexibility but Duke would still be required to meet the overall reduction goal, Lim said.

"We don't want to put anyone out of business," Lim said. "We're simply trying to get our corporate customers, including Duke, to curb their discretionary usage as they maintain operations. Obviously, we don't want the hospital to be cutting back on anything essential."

In addition to the steps to reduce outdoor water usage, the university is initiating an education campaign aimed at urging students to conserve water.

Fliers will be posted in residence halls and campus apartments urging students to practice conservation -- such as limiting shower time and turning off the tap while brushing teeth. Students are also being urged to report leaks. An article on conservation requirements, including tips to save water, appeared in The Chronicle last week.

"We're working to make students aware and to encourage them to be proactive," said Fidelia Thomason, the director of facilities operations for residential life and housing services.

If drought conditions worsen this fall and Durham enacts further restrictions, possible steps that may be considered include additional reductions in irrigation, restricted water use in residence halls and other buildings, and reduced water consumption in dining and athletic areas, Reynolds said.

University water conservation efforts to date have been made easier by a plan implemented in the mid-1990s by the FMD. The plan, which aims to offset increases in energy and water consumption created by new buildings and added uses in existing facilities, has included such steps as installing low-flow flush valves, low-flow shower heads and aerators, recycling water whenever possible, selecting planting materials that need less watering and including water conservation plans in new construction and renovation projects.

For example, rainwater that falls on the roof of the Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (CIEMAS), which opened in late 2004, is gathered in a hidden 70,000-gallon cistern and used to irrigate the nearly two-acre complex. Improvements made to the university's steam plant in the late 1990s and early 2000s are estimated to save more than 12 million gallons of water each year.

"We've continued a lot of the water-saving measures we instituted in 2002, even in non-drought conditions," Reynolds said.