Orange Water and Sewer Authority
NEWS RELEASE October 23, 2007
OWASA officials back Governor Easley’s call for 50% cut in water demand, say it is practical for many customers
OWASA officials said Tuesday that they strongly support Governor Easley’s call for a 50% reduction in water use by the end of October, and that such a cut is possible for many but not all customers. OWASA serves the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community.
Stage Two water use restrictions (please see list below) went into effect for OWASA customers on Thursday night, October 18th, when the OWASA Board declared a Stage Two water shortage, but OWASA officials recommend that customers conserve more than is required by ordinance.
“We believe that a strong majority of our customers can substantially cut their water use by using some well-known, simple methods,” said Randy Kabrick, P.E., Chair of the OWASA Board of Directors. He added that “We know that some residents and businesses have limited opportunities to conserve without health and safety risks or operating changes that would affect employment, and many customers are already doing a very good job of conserving.”
The OWASA Board will discuss the drought, water supply and demand at upcoming meetings including the Board’s business meeting on Thursday, October 25th, at 7:00 PM in the Chapel Hill Town Hall.
Recommended water conservation methods
The following are some the most effective conservation opportunities for many residential customers as well as businesses, etc. OWASA said that residential water use accounts for about 55% of the community’s overall demand, and residential conservation will therefore continue to be a key area of focus.
Cease outdoor use of drinking water for landscaping, cleaning and other non-essential purposes. Although pressure washing of buildings before painting is now allowed under Stage Two restrictions in local water conservation ordinances, OWASA recommends that customers defer pressure washing and painting until the drought is over.
Use shower water, dish water, rainwater when available, etc. to water plants.
OWASA also said it has requested State approval to offer reclaimed water (highly treated wastewater) at its Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant for customers who bring tanker trucks to be filled. OWASA will announce availability of reclaimed water at the Mason Farm plant and arrangements for State-required training for reclaimed water transporters/users as soon as State approval is received.
Check for and promptly fix leaks in toilets, faucets, piping, hoses and other fixtures. Leaks may account for as much as 14% of water demand. “There is no reason for a customer to allow a leak to continue or not to check regularly for leaks,” said Ed Kerwin, OWASA’s Executive Director.
Many indoor leaks can be detected by listening carefully for running water, looking for wet spots in the yard between the OWASA meter and a customer’s residence or putting food dye in a toilet tank and waiting about 15 minutes to see if color appears in the bowl, indicating a leak. Toilets are one of the most frequent places where leaks occur, and toilet leaks can result in thousands of gallons of water waste. (OWASA gives away leak detection dye tablets at its Administration Building, 400 Jones Ferry Road.)
Flush only when necessary. In the words of an old Chapel Hill-Carrboro saying, “If it’s yellow, let it mellow.”
Take short showers such as the military style of using water to get wet, turning off the water while lathering and scrubbing, and using water quickly to rinse.
Replace old showerheads that use more than 2.5 gallons per minute. OWASA gives away replacement showerheads rated by the manufacturer as having a flow of only 1.75 gallons per minute (available to customers at 400 Jones Ferry Road, Carrboro). Showerheads installed since 1994 have been required to have a maximum flow rating of 2.5 gallons per minute, and older showerheads may use 3.5 or more gallons per minute.
Showers and baths account for about one-fifth of indoor residential water use, so they are a key opportunity for conservation. OWASA officials also noted that a 3-minute shower with an efficient showerhead uses much less water than taking a bath with a full or half-full tub.
Replace old toilets with a new one that uses 1.6 gallons or less per flush. Toilets installed before 1994 are likely to use 3.5, 5 or more gallons per flush, so new toilets can cut water use for flushing by as much as two-thirds. OWASA recommends that customers check the US Environmental Protection Agency’s new WaterSense website for information about toilets and other devices that are certified as meeting conservation standards.
Toilet flushing is a key conservation opportunity because it accounts for more than 25% of indoor residential water use. National research indicates that residential toilet use averages about 4.2 flushes per person per day. “With about 80,000 people in our Chapel Hill-Carrboro service area and a mix of old efficient toilets as well as new toilets, residential toilet flushing alone accounts for more than a million gallons per day in our community,” said Paula Thomas, OWASA’s Sustainability Administrator.
“Since our year-round water demand has averaged about 8 million gallons per day, that means that residential toilet flushing is a major use of drinking water here as in other communities. By flushing less often and replacing old toilets, we have the opportunity to reduce our overall demand in a big way,” Ms. Thomas added.
Use dishwashers and clothes washers only with full loads, and/or use paper or plastic plates, cups and utensils that do not require washing.
Replace old clothes washers with new front-loading units, which may use 38% less water than top-loaders.
Replace old dishwashers with new water- and energy-efficient models.
Report water waste to OWASA at 968-4421 or by e-mail to webmaster@owasa.org. OWASA will follow up on all reports of water waste and violation of current water use restrictions, and will work with local law enforcement when formal enforcement actions are needed. OWASA can also cut off water service for repeated, willful violation of the local water conservation ordinance or excessive water use as defined by ordinance (please see list of Stage 2 restrictions below.)
Turn off water when not needed while brushing teeth, shaving, etc.
For additional information on water conservation techniques, please see the water conservation section of the OWASA website, www.owasa.org or contact OWASA at 968-4421 or webmaster@owasa.org.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Reclaimed water system expected to go into operation in 2009
Following the drought of 2001-02, OWASA and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill began evaluation and planning for the use of highly treated wastewater (reclaimed water) for allowable non-drinking purposes such as in chiller plants that cool buildings on the University campus, and for irrigation and toilet flushing. Initially, the University plans to use reclaimed water at chiller plants on the southern campus and to reduce its drinking water demand by about 570,000 gallons per day or 6% of overall Chapel Hill-Carrboro demand.
OWASA recently completed the detailed design of pumps, tanks and piping to carry reclaimed water from the Mason Farm Wastewater Treatment Plant in southeast Chapel Hill to the southern campus, and has requested bids from contractors. Construction is expected to start in early 2008 and to be complete in 2009.
Stage Two Water Shortage Use Restrictions for OWASA Customers (put into effect by OWASA Board action on Thursday, October 18th)
a. Spray irrigation with OWASA drinking water is not permitted, except by people regularly engaged in the sale of plants, who are allowed to irrigate their commercial stock in trade.
b. Irrigation by underground, drip irrigation, micro-spray, low precipitation bubblers, soaker hose systems with automatic shutoffs, or by hand held hoses or watering cans is limited to a maximum of one-half inch of water applied to plant material in any given week.
c. Water waste, including plumbing leaks that can be readily identified and corrected, is prohibited.
d. Water use by individually-metered residential customer accounts and by individually metered single-family residential irrigation-only accounts is limited to no more than an average of 800 gallons per day during any monthly billing cycle beginning after the declaration of a Water Supply Shortage or Water Supply Emergency and ending while such restrictions are still in effect. OWASA may terminate service for water use exceeding the 800 gallon per day limit in a monthly billing period.
e. No OWASA-supplied potable water shall be used for washing vehicles except at commercial or institutional car washes in which at least 50 percent of the water has been recycled.
f. No OWASA-supplied potable water shall be used for filling or re-filling empty swimming pools. OWASA-supplied potable water may be used to top off operating swimming pools.
g. No OWASA-supplied potable water shall be used to re-fill ornamental fountains, ponds, and like devices.
h. No OWASA-supplied potable water shall be used for the routine cleaning or washing of exterior building surfaces, decks, or paved areas such as sidewalks, driveways, roadways and parking lots. This restriction shall not apply to the pressure cleaning of exterior building surfaces or decks before painting or re-painting that is necessary to protect or maintain the physical integrity of the structure.
i. Restaurants and dining facilities shall serve water only on request of the customer.
j. Hotels, motels, and other facilities providing sleeping accommodations shall change bed linens only upon request of the customer, upon customer changeover, or every five days for long-term customers.
k. The operation of dishwashers and clothes washers only when loaded to their maximum capacity, or at water level settings appropriate for the size of the load, is strongly encouraged.
l. The use of ultra-low flow toilets, tank dams, flow restrictors (aerators) and low-flow showerheads, where not otherwise required, is strongly encouraged.
m. Plumbing systems shall be properly maintained and repaired to prevent water leaks.
o. Indoor water leaks on property or facilities of OWASA customers must be repaired within 10 days of discovery and notification by OWASA.
p. The protection of public health, safety, and welfare may, under special circumstances, require the use of limited amounts of OWASA drinking water for purposes such as washing out garbage trucks, cleaning up hazardous or other unsanitary materials, etc. Such uses are permitted during declared Water Shortages or Emergencies if other practical alternatives are not available and water is used in the least practical amount.
STAGE TWO SURCHARGES TO BEGIN ON NOVEMBER 1, 2007
FOR HIGH RESIDENTIAL WATER USE
Stage Two surcharges for high water use by individually-metered residential customers will go into effect on November 1st. (Previously, Stage One water surcharges had been approved to go into effect on November 1st.)
OWASA’s current block water rates are:
OCTOBER 1 BLOCK WATER RATES
|
Block
1 |
1
– 2,999 gallons per month |
$1.98
per 1,000 gallons |
|
Block
2 |
3,000
– 5,999 gallons per month |
$4.70
per 1,000 gallons |
|
Block
3 |
6,000
– 10,999 gallons per month |
$5.53
per 1,000 gallons |
|
Block
4 |
11,000
– 15,999 gallons per month |
$7.46
per 1,000 gallons |
|
Block
5 |
16,000
or more gallons per month |
$13.05
per 1,000 gallons |
The typical residential OWASA customer uses about 5,500 gallons per month.
On November 1st:
· the block 3 water rate will increase to $8.295 per 1,000 gallons.
· the block 4 water rate will increase to $14.92 to per 1,000 gallons.
· the block 5 water rate will increase to $39.15 per 1,000 gallons.
The surcharges are intended to strongly discourage high water use.
During a Stage Two Water Shortage, there are no surcharges on water rate blocks 1 and 2 and there are no surcharges for non-residential and multi-family master-metered customers, who will pay seasonal water conservation rates rather than block rates.
If a Stage Three Water Shortage is declared, additional and higher surcharges would apply.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Randy Kabrick, Chair, OWASA Board of Directors
Telephone: 651-5700; E-mail: rkabrick@ensr.aecom.com
Ed Kerwin, Executive Director
Telephone: 537-4211; E-mail: ekerwin@owasa.org
Patrick Davis, Utility Manager Generalist
Telephone: 537-4210; E-mail: pdavis@owasa.org
Greg Feller, Public Affairs Administrator
Telephone: 537-4267; E-mail: gfeller@owasa.org
OWASA is the community-owned, non-profit public water and sewer agency
serving the Carrboro-Chapel Hill community.
400 Jones Ferry Road, Carrboro, NC 27510 telephone: 919-968-4421
fax: 968-4464 e-mail: webmaster@owasa.org Website: www.owasa.org