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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 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 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/.