City considers taking steps to save water By KIMBERLY SWEET : The Herald-Sun kss@herald-sun.com Nov 20, 2001 : 8:08 pm ET

DURHAM -- As boat docks and buoys lie on the flat, parched ground that area reservoirs used to cover, city officials are deciding whether conservation efforts are needed to protect water supplies from hitting dangerously low levels.

Two of the city’s main water sources, Lake Michie and the Little River reservoirs, are well below their normal levels.

Draining to meet the city’s water needs and drought conditions gripping the central portion of the state are to blame, said A.T. Rolan, director of environmental resources for Durham.

Right now, Lake Michie is more than 14 feet below normal. The Little River Reservoir is more than 26 feet below normal -- a record low.

Rolan said the city is monitoring the levels closely, and will be deciding in the next week or so whether actions need to be taken to conserve water or buy it from somewhere else.

"We don’t want to run out," he said. "We want to watch what we have in the bucket."

The city could purchase water from Cary or Chatham County. It also has access to withdrawals from the Eno River.

Implementing mandatory water conservation among the city’s residents is also an option, Rolan said.

Water is typically drained out of Lake Michie and Little River during October and November -- North Carolina’s driest months -- to meet the city’s water needs. The lakes are frequently below normal level during these two months, Rolan said.

Normal precipitation for October and November is just more than three inches per month.

The lakes are then replenished during the wet winter months of December and January.

But the area hasn’t seen much more than a trace of rain since September, leaving the lakes six inches short, Rolan said.

The Little River Reservoir was drained down even lower in September so the dam could undergo concrete repairs and painting, Rolan said. The lake was purposely drained to a low level to make repairs on a part of the dam that is normally covered by water.

It was expected that normal precipitation along with rain brought during the hurricane season would refill the reservoir to its normal levels.

"In 20-20 hindsight, this may not have been the best year to have done that," Rolan said.

If the dryness continues, this will be the fourth dry season in a row the region has experienced, something environmental resource officials didn’t expect.

"That’s real unusual," Rolan said.

Much of North Carolina is experiencing moderate drought conditions, according to the latest report from the National Drought Mitigation Center. The eastern part of the state is experiencing a severe drought -- one step above moderate and two below exceptional, which is the worst rating.

Other reservoirs in the state are experiencing lowered levels as well because of it, said Steve Brown, who is with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Both Falls and Jordan lakes are below normal, with water being released to meet downstream targets that supply water to Apex, Cary and Chatham County.

"The lakes continue to drop slowly," he said. "Unfortunately, the forecast doesn’t look like we’ll have rain."

Brandon Locklear, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service forecast office in Raleigh, said there’s a possibility for a wetter pattern to enter the area in the next 10 days.

But without an El Niño or La Niña present in the Pacific, it’s hard to predict whether substantial relief is in store for December.

"There’s a lot of different scenarios, and it’s hard to predict what’s going to happen," Locklear said.

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2001

Answers

In the nine years we've lived here, Durham has always had more water than it needs--until now. Thanks to Y2K, I have two large rainwater barrels, both of which are full. I also have a 55-gallon drum I can fill with water if we do get some rain. Luckily, I gave my plants a good watering from the soaker hose a few days ago, which should last them a long time in this dormant period. The pansies in pots can be watered from the barrels. I also have two Roma tomato plants in pots I'm babying with big bubble wrap through these freezing nights. If worst comes to worst, I can divert rinse water from the washing machine to keep my pots going.

And if worst comes to bloody awful, my one friendly neighbor has a well. . .

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2001

I had lunch yesterday with a friend, and learned to my surprise that something of a water crisis has been building in the D.C. area for the past two months. Plant life, lawns and flowers, are not showing this, but my friend is a knowledgable person.

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2001

Git, some plants do not like washer water. I know. We've had to do it for quite some time.

Calabash, watermelon, and a small tomato plant did not make it in the area we drain into. Not sure if the tomato plant was because of the water, tho.

The banana trees absolutely thrive on it. Antherium [sp?] likes it, or rather, hasn't died from it yet.

As a rule we would let the water from loads with bleach drain on the walkway and then seep into the grass. Didn't hurt the grass and made the walkway cleaner.

As someone else used to sign off, 'your mileage may vary.'

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2001

Yeah, I think it has something to do with the type of detergent you use. If it came to that, I'd find something very mild, maybe regular soap flakes (if they're still around!) or even dishwashing liquid.

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2001

All detergents are mild compared to the soap from days of old.

Non-phospherous is all you should use.

We have been told by our neighbor, who does the same thing with his banana trees that the bleach is okay for them.

We just liked having the walkway clean, so we put it on that. it kills the algae or whatever that forms on the stones due to the shade.

-- Anonymous, November 21, 2001