INC NEWS - City Moves to Mandatory Water Conservation Measures

[RW Pickle]

Press release from the City Public Affairs Office.
RWP
27 Beverly
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Stage III Goes Into Effect Friday, September 21, 2007

Durham, N.C. — With drought conditions in the piedmont continuing and
little relief from recent rains, Durham City Manager Patrick W. Baker has
enacted Stage III Moderate Mandatory Conservation of the City of Durham’s
Water Conservation Ordinance, effective Friday, September 21, 2007.  

Residents are asked to begin water conservation measures immediately and
to rethink their overall water usage habits so they are in full compliance
with the Stage III ordinance by Friday.  “It is critical that
our customers follow these mandatory restrictions to ensure that there is
an adequate water supply for all,” Baker said.  “We need to significantly
decrease our daily water usage and our customers play a vital role in
making sure we achieve this goal.”

State climatologists predict little relief in the near future and stream
flows into Durham’s two water supply lakes continue to run well below
expected flow for this time of year.  Lake levels at both Little River
Lake and Lake Michie continue to decline with Little River Lake and Lake
Michie both at 12.7 feet below full.   Even with voluntary conservation
measures currently in place, the average daily demand has remained level
at about 36 million gallons per day (MGD). 

With mandatory restrictions in place, City officials expect to decrease
the daily water demand by 20 to 30 percent. Stage III Moderate Mandatory
Conservation restricts the following activities:

·         No watering of lawns, grass, trees, shrubbery, flowers, golf
greens or vegetable gardens except between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. OR 5 p.m. and
9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

·         Do not add water to wading pools or swimming pools except to the
extent necessary to replenish losses due to evaporation or spillage, and
maintain operation of chemical feed equipment.

·         Do not use water to wash down outside areas such as sidewalks,
patios, driveways, or for other similar purposes.

·         Do not add water to any decorative fountain, pool or pond except
where the water is recycled.

·         Do not serve water in a restaurant or similar establishment
except upon request.

·         Do not use water for any unnecessary purpose or intentionally
waste water.

·         Do not wash the exterior of a motor vehicle unless a private
well water system is used, or unless 50 percent or more of the water is
recycled, or it can be demonstrated that 30 gallons of water or less are
used to wash the vehicle.

Stage III further states that “all industrial, manufacturing, and
commercial enterprises shall reduce consumption with a goal reduction of
30 percent...and document such efforts.” 

To help City staff monitor the effectiveness of these mandatory measures,
citizens are encouraged to report water waste to Durham One Call at (919)
560-1200 or online at http://www.durhamnc.gov.  Citizens who are not
abiding by the Stage III measures will be receive a written warning for
their first violation.  The second violation will result in a Notice of
Violation and the third violation will result in termination of water
service.

City staff updates the Water Supply Status Web site daily.  Residents may
access the information from the red “hot link” on the homepage of the
City’s Web site at http://www.durhamnc.gov.  Additional conservation tips,
information on water-wise landscaping or how to acquire rain barrels are
also posted on the Web site.  Residents may also call the City’s
Department of Water Management at (919) 560-4381 for additional
information.

About the Department of Water Management
The City’s Department of Water Management is responsible for the operation
and maintenance of Durham's water supply, water treatment and water
reclamation (wastewater treatment) facilities, the collection and
distribution systems (including meter reading) and customer billing
services.  For more information on this department, visit the City’s Web
site at www.durhamnc.gov/departments/wm/.