Duke

What is Durham's drought status?
Despite recent rain, Durham, like most areas in North Carolina, is still experiencing drought conditions. Meteorologists with the National Weather Service say Durham needs to receive at least 10 inches in April and May for continued drought improvement.

What water restrictions are in effect in Durham?
Durham's current Stage III mandatory restrictions, effective April 1, allow limited outdoor watering on Wednesdays and Saturdays until further notice For details, click here.

How do the rules affect Duke?
Duke is a national leader in the stewardship of the environment and as such takes the water supply issues facing North Carolina seriously. Duke has developed a comprehensive water conservation plan to comply with all stages of Durham's conservation ordinance.

What steps has Duke taken to reduce water use?
Duke has earmarked $5 million for new water conservation projects and is currently spearheading more than 50 projects to reduce water consumption.

A sample from the initiatives:

• Duke stopped all irrigation and watering of lawns, fields and plants with city water.
• In December, Duke distributed 5,000 low water flow showerheads at no charge to faculty, staff and off-campus students. Another 5,000 showerheads will be given away at Duke in April.
• About 250 high-efficiency washing machines, which use half as much water as previous machines, have been installed in residence hall laundry rooms — a change expected to save 15 million gallons annually.

How much water has Duke saved?
Duke is tracking its water reduction using two baselines: daily and year-to-date consumption. Duke's daily water use in most campus areas dropped from a little over 2 million gallons per day in August to approximately 500,000 gallons per day in February - a reduction of more than 70 percent. That data is based on meter readings for about 90 percent of Duke's total square footage. Based on the year-to-date tracking, Duke reduced water consumption in most campus areas by nearly 28 percent between June 2007 and February 2008 compared to the same period in 2006-07.

Although water usage typically increases in spring and summer, Duke is committed to continuing conservation on campus.

What is reclaimed water?
Reclaimed water is non-potable water that has been treated and meets state water quality standards. Durham recently began offering the water at no cost to certified customers. City officials say reclaimed water can be used safely in irrigation, street cleaning, dust control, concrete production, decorative ponds and soil compaction. It may not be used for drinking, cooking, bathing, filling pools or watering edible plants.

Does Duke use reclaimed water?
As part of Duke's latest conservation initiative, Duke's Facilities Management Department (FMD) this summer will begin trucking in reclaimed water from the North Durham Water Reclamation Facility. Reclaimed water will be used at the Sarah P. Duke Gardens and on select athletic fields to enhance safety.

Duke has purchased a used tanker truck to transport reclaimed water, and FMD employees are undergoing training on proper procedures for transporting and using the water. Signs will be posted in campus areas where reclaimed water is used.

Where is most of Duke's water consumed?
Duke's medical facilities account for nearly half of Duke's overall water use.

How are Duke's medical facilities saving water?
Sterilizers have been updated to use less water. Waterless hand sanitizer dispensers have been installed. Bed linens are being changed less frequently. Automatic toilets have been switched to manual and low-flow faucets are being installed.

Also, systems have been designed to collect condensation from large air conditioning units for reuse in cooling buildings. The improvements are expected to save about 10 million gallons annually.

Will Duke water its athletic fields?
Duke is currently developing a plan to irrigate some athletic fields with non-potable water and reclaimed water to enhance safety.

Reclaimed water will be used on these athletic fields:

• 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

What about the synthetic field on East Campus used by Duke's field hockey team?
Duke is designing a system that will provide non-potable water for Williams Field. The system is expected to be in place by fall. The International Hockey Federation, the governing body for field hockey, recommends that fields be saturated to increase safety and reduce player injuries.

How is Duke limiting water use at the golf course and Washington Duke Inn?
At Duke University Golf Club, water for irrigation comes from two retention ponds fed by the Sandy Creek watershed. In addition to reducing the area of the course that is irrigated, the frequency and duration of watering has been decreased. Plus, plant growth regulators, the same type used on nursery stock, have been applied on the fairways, roughs, tees and greens to control growth and ease the need for water.

The Washington Duke Inn has shut down automatic irrigation systems, discontinued power washing and installed low-flow showerheads and faucets. Plus, guests receive a note in each room, explaining Durham's drought situation and offering the option of not having linens and towels changed daily.

What water-saving efforts are underway at Sarah P. Duke Gardens?
Duke horticulturalists are developing a sustainable, ecologically-based plan that responds to the ongoing drought and incorporates drought-tolerant plants. Funds have been allocated in Duke Gardens' budget to pay for innovative watering solutions and to replace lost plants and trees.

All sprinklers, irrigation systems and fountains have been turned off. Water for plants that are essential to the Garden's collection are being hand-watered, using storm water from ponds. Other runoff water comes from a 20,000-gallon underground cistern on the property. The gardens also rely on reclaimed water.

Does Duke have long-term conservation goals?
Saving water is not new at Duke. Long before the drought, Duke developed broad initiatives designed to leave a lighter footprint on the environment. Flow restrictor shower heads and sink faucets have been installed in some residence halls, and all new buildings are being constructed to meet national standards for energy efficiency and eco-friendly design. For example, the French Family Science Center has 50 waterless urinals and low-flow lavatories that save an estimated 2 million gallons of water annually. And, 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.

What has Duke done to educate students, faculty, staff and the community about the importance of reducing water use?
Among the outreach efforts:

• A Web site has been developed to offer the latest news, updates, tips and water conservation resources.
• Duke has helped organize several public forums for members of the Duke and Durham communities.
• Articles about conservation have appeared in Duke Today and Working@Duke.
• All Duke students received e-mail with water-saving tips.
• The campus newspaper, The Chronicle, is running public service announcements at no charge.
• Fliers promoting conservation are posted periodically and as conditions warrant across campus.