Duke

Update: April 25, 2008

Although Durham city officials announced April 1 that recent rain has boosted the city's water supply, allowing Durham to ease water restrictions, Duke is dedicated to continue conservation efforts that have resulted in substantial water savings.

Although city regulations currently allow limited outdoor watering, Duke will not use drinking (potable) water for outdoor irrigation. Instead, Duke will be using city reclaimed water and storm water to water select plants on campus and to irrigate athletic fields to enhance safety.

Other efforts underway at Duke include these initiatives:

Facilities/Operations

• Operational adjustment at Duke's chilled water plant saves 9,000 gallons daily.
• Condensation in University, Medical Center and Health System cooling systems reclaimed for use in Duke's Chilled Water Plant's cooling towers.
• Automatic flush toilets switched to manual.
• Waterless hand sanitizers installed in campus and hospital restrooms.
• Facilities Management Department (FMD) promptly repairing leaks reported in campus buildings.
• Audited all buildings for leaks and energy-efficiency.
• Water-efficient toilets and faucets being installed.
• FMD stopped washing its fleet of 180 vehicles — except for windows, which need to remain clean for safety.
• Distributed 5,000 free showerheads to staff, faculty and off-campus students for their homes. Another 5,000 showerheads being given away ths spring..
• Developing irrigation plan for athletic fields that involves trucking in non-potable water and using tank farms to hold the water.
• Designing a collection/recycle tank (irrigation collection system) to be used at Williams Field. Connecting more University and Medical buildings to the central Chilled Water Plant system.
• Developing plan to use reclaimed water from the City of Durham for irrigation and in the chilled water system.
• Investigating the option of drilling wells at Chilled Water Plant #2.
• Evaluating possibility of adding more retention ponds on campus for chilled water plants and irrigation use.

Irrigation/Landscaping

• All ornamental water features such as statues and fountains in Sarah P. Duke Gardens have been shut off.
• Water from the Asiatic Arboretum pond in Sarah P. Duke Gardens will be used to water seasonal plants in the terrace beds of the Gardens.
• The waterfall below the terraces that feeds the fish pool has been turned off. If necessary, water will be added to the fish pool from the Asiatic pond.
• Mulch increased in planting areas to reduce water loss from evaporation.
• Drought-tolerant landscaping has also been installed in many areas on campus.
• Power washing discontinued and most irrigation systems have been turned off.
• Assessed current plant types to determine best locations for native plants, drought resistant landscaping and rain gardens.
• Using reclaimed city water for irrigation.

Stormwater Management

• Storm water being reclaimed in numerous cisterns and retention ponds on campus.
• Dr. Miguel Medina, a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and his students have painstakingly modeled the flow of storm water on campus during the last decade. Thanks to their efforts, Duke has one of the most comprehensive Stormwater Management Plans of any university.

Hospital

• Modified sterilizers at Medical Center facilities to reduce water use.
• Adjusted cooling systems to conserve water.
• Switched to water-efficient faucets in hospital facilities.
• Converting toilets and urinals to water-efficient fixtures.
• Bed linens changed less frequently.
• Use of waterless hand sanitizer being encouraged.
• Testing hot water systems for hand washing to provide hot water to faucet within 60 seconds maximum. (Most are working within 30 seconds or less).
• A maintenance hotline number to report leaks is posted in all restrooms.

Residential Life & Housing

• Duke Stores installing 250 new Speed Queen ultra-high efficiency front load washing machines in residence hall laundry rooms. They use half as much water as previous machines. The change is expected to save 15 million gallons annually.
• Installing water-efficient sinks and toilets in residence halls and Central Campus housing.
• Replacing shower heads with water-efficient fixtures in recreational and residential facilities.

Dining

• Disposable plates, cups and utensils used to reduce dishwashing at most campus eateries, saving hundreds of gallons daily at each location.
• Thawing frozen food in refrigerators instead of under running water.
• Water served to customers upon request.

Watering Athletic Fields

Duke plans to use reclaimed water from the North Durham Water Reclamation Facility to water select plants on campus and to irrigate athletic fields to enhance safety.

Reclaimed water is non-potable water that has been disinfected and meets state water quality standards.

The athletic fields that will be watered are:

• Wallace Wade Stadium
• Infield at Jack Coombs Field (baseball field) on West Campus
• Field 4 on West Campus
• Field 5 on Cameron Boulevard (751)
• Football practice field on West Campus
• Koskinen Stadium

Housekeeping

• Switching many buildings to eco-friendly "green" cleaning products that use less water.
• Turning off water between use while cleaning.
• Installing waterless hand sanitizers in restrooms.

Washington Duke Inn & Duke University Golf Club

• Increasing size of golf course irrigation ponds to store more storm water to irrigate the course.
• Reduced area of course being water and duration of watering.
• Plant growth regulators applied on course to control growth and ease need for watering.
• Installed water-efficient showerheads and faucets in hotel restrooms.
• Providing note for guests in each room, offering option of not having linens and towels changed daily.

Prior sustainability efforts that conserve water

Along with ongoing efforts to reduce water use, Duke has implemented broader initiatives in recent months designed to leave a lighter footprint on the environment and lower water consumption.

• Duke's heating needs are supplied by a central steam plant. During the 1990's, the plant underwent a series of upgrades and retrofits that improved the plant's efficiency and reduced its environmental impact.
• Along with ongoing efforts to reduce water use, Duke has implemented broader initiatives in recent months designed to leave a lighter footprint on the environment and lower water consumption.
• Many existing buildings have been hooked up to the central chilled water plant, which is more efficient than using the cooling towers on top of individual buildings.
• All new buildings are being constructed to meet national standards for energy efficiency and eco-friendly design.
• The French Family Science Center has 50 waterless urinals and low-flow lavatories that save an estimated 2 million gallons of water annually.
• The Fitzpatrick Center for Interdisciplinary Engineering, Medicine and Applied Sciences (FCIEMAS), which opened in 2004, has a 70,000-gallon cistern underground to collect rainwater that is used to irrigate the nearly two-acre comple

Last modified: 04/25/2008 16:03:14