As Drought Persists, Duke Reduces Water Use and Prepares for What Comes Next

Coordinated efforts have helped Duke reduce water consumption by 34% since 2006

A sign reads Home of Duke Rowing next to a dried Lake Michie
Lake Michie, one of Durham Water's main sources of water, was less than 50% full in early June. Photo courtesy of City of Durham

As exceptional drought conditions in Durham County continue, Duke University and Duke University Health System are leaning on lessons learned from a severe drought in 2007-2008 to reduce water use.

As of July 1, reservoir levels from Durham’s two main water sources, Lake Michie and Little River, were 48% full with an estimated 86 days of easily accessible water available. As a result, Durham enacted Stage 2 water restrictions June 15, which prohibits spray irrigation and adding water to decorative fountains or ponds, among other restrictions.

At Duke, Facilities Management has reduced irrigation across campus, watering only new plantings and athletic fields where it is required to maintain safe playing surfaces. Watering occurs largely overnight when cooler temperatures limit evaporation.

With temperatures in the 90s at the start of July as summer begins in earnest, campus might look a little browner than usual for the foreseeable future.

“We are proud to take an active role in the community's water conservation efforts,” said Tom Morrison, Vice President for Facilities at Duke. “With the current drought conditions, we are abiding by the City's guidelines as well as well as looking into other opportunities to conserve water on campus.”

While the current drought has heightened awareness of water conservation, Duke has been working to reduce water consumption for nearly two decades, since a drought in 2007 and 2008 led to the city of Durham imposing Stage 4 water restrictions from December 2007 through March 2008 that required users to cut consumption by 30%. During that period, Durham came within 39 days of running out of easily accessible water.

In the aftermath, Duke invested $5 million in water conservation efforts and began working on building efficiency measures in the form of low-flow water fixtures and plumbing improvements. It also led to the construction of the Duke Reclamation Pond on West Campus in 2015. The pond covers 12 acres and provides water to support Duke’s chilled water system for air conditioning of buildings on campus.

Because of these efforts, Duke has reduced its use of potable water by 34% since 2006.

“We’ve been taking this approach over a long period of time,” Morrison said. “It’s through all those efficiency measures and Duke’s high-performance building sustainable design standards that we’ve been able to change how we use this natural resource. It is a variety of initiatives that have added up over the years.”

an aerial view of Lake Michie
Lake Michie, shown here June 8, is one of Durham's main sources of water. Photo courtesy of city of Durham

In 2025, 13% of Duke’s total water consumption came from alternative water sources such as Duke Pond. Water from the reclamation pond helps supply Duke’s chilled water system, which accounts for the largest use of water on campus.

However, like area reservoirs, Duke Pond has been affected by the drought and is currently providing only limited support because of low water levels.

Maintaining cooling systems remains critical in Duke Health’s clinical settings.

“Air conditioning, when it’s approaching 100 degrees outside, is critical to public health,” Morrison said. "It’s very important to the clinical function of Duke University Health System, and we will not compromise patient safety."

In anticipation that the drought will not improve rapidly, Duke has established a working group to develop strategies, review data and develop contingency plans if Durham moves to Stages 3 or 4 of water restrictions.

During the drought in 2007 and 2008, water restrictions led to Duke turning off all automatic irrigation systems, using disposable plates and utensils in dining halls to eliminate the need to wash dishes, and changing bed linens at Duke University Hospital less frequently to reduce the amount of laundry.

In conjunction with larger efforts, Duke Facilities Management urges individuals to conserve water whenever possible.

“There's a certain amount of muscle memory back to 2007 when this happened before, and we are much better in terms of our consumption than we were back then,” Morrison said. “This drought will require more.”

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