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Stop using so much water

This means you mr. and ms. water waster

Just got this note from OWASA:

DROUGHT AND WATER CONSERVATION UPDATE
FOR OWASA CUSTOMERS

Additional water conservation is needed due to the continuing severe drought. OWASA has several months of water supply on hand, but we need to conserve now in case the drought continues into 2008 and our lakes are not replenished by next spring.

Water supply and demand data (as of October 12, 2007)

· Our Cane Creek Reservoir and University Lake are about 53% full.

· The community’s average water demand from October 4 to 11 was 9.7 million gallons per day, which is substantially higher than the target of 8.3 million gallons per day for October during a Stage One water shortage. (emphasis mine)

· Based on projected demands, and with about 1.8 billion gallons of water in our two primary reservoirs, we have enough water in storage to last 5 to 6 months without additional rainfall.

· Our reservoirs have received no water flow since early August from the creeks and streams that normally feed them.

· Rainfall to date in October has totaled only about 0.1 of an inch, compared to the historical average of 4 inches in October. Rainfall has been more than 7 inches below normal in the past 12 months. October and November are normally the two driest months of the year in our area.

· The NC Drought Monitoring Council recently redesignated the drought conditions for our area as “exceptional,” a more severe rating than the previous “extreme” drought level.

Stage One Water Shortage; Water Use Restrictions

On September 27th, the OWASA Board of Directors formally declared a Stage One Water Shortage with the goal of reducing the community’s water demand by at least 10%.

The Stage One mandatory water use restrictions listed below are in effect for OWASA drinking water until further notice.

· Spray irrigation is limited to one day per week, and is allowed only before 9:00 AM and after 8:00 PM. Irrigation is limited to one-half inch per week. At even-numbered addresses, spray irrigation is allowed only on Tuesdays; at odd-numbered addresses, only on Thursdays. These restrictions do not apply to watering of containerized plants and commercial plants for sale at local nurseries and businesses.

Spray irrigation is defined as “The application of water to landscaping by means of a device that projects water through the air in the form of small particles or droplets.” You can measure irrigation with a small container such as a tuna can. If you have an irrigation system, you may wish to have the control system adjusted and soil and rain sensors checked by a company that installs or maintains irrigation systems.

· Spray irrigation systems are required to have automatic timer systems and rain or soil moisture sensors, and hoses for outdoor use are required to have automatic shut-offs.

· Water waste is prohibited. Water waste includes using so much water that it runs onto adjacent properties or street rights-of-way or causes ponding on impervious surfaces; failing to fix leaks; and irrigation during rainfall or when soil moisture is already adequate.

· OWASA MAY TERMINATE SERVICE if water use by an individually-metered residential customer exceeds an average of 1,000 gallons per day during a monthly billing cycle.

· The previous exemption for watering new plants, sod, seeding and reseeding of lawns is no longer in effect. The irrigation limit of one-half inch per week applies to new as well as existing plantings.

· Watering with a hand-held hose or watering can or with underground, drip irrigation, micro spray, soaker hose or low precipitation “bubbler” watering systems is allowed on any day of the week and at any time of day, but is limited to the maximum of one-half inch of water per week.

· No OWASA water may be used to re-fill ornamental fountains, ponds and like devices.

· No OWASA water may be used for routine cleaning or washing of paved areas such as sidewalks, decks, driveways, roadways, or parking lots. (However, pressure cleaning of exterior building surfaces is allowed under the Stage One restrictions.)

· Hotels, motels, etc. shall change bed linens only upon request of the customer, upon customer changeover or every five days for long-term customers.

· Restaurants shall serve OWASA drinking water only upon request.

Additional Recommended Water Conservation Techniques

OWASA customers are strongly encouraged to conserve in other ways, such as:

· Installing low-flush toilets and low-flow showerheads and faucet aerators where they are not already in place as required by current plumbing codes.

· Taking shorter showers, not letting faucets run unnecessarily, and flushing the toilet only when necessary.

· Using rain barrels, cisterns, etc. to store rainwater for irrigation and other suitable purposes. Rain barrels are available at some retail outlets and local Boy Scout Troop #39 (telephone: 942-4830).

· Using dishwashers and clothes washers only with full loads or with water level settings appropriate for the load size.

Conservation Objective for the Stage One Shortage

The water conservation objective for Stage One is to reduce overall water demand to 8.3 million gallons per day or less for October.

Conservation now will help next year if the drought continues in the months ahead. If the drought continues and demand for water demand does not decrease substantially, additional restrictions may be necessary.

Water Rate Surcharges to Begin in November for High Residential Water Use (11,000 or More Gallons Per Month)

In addition to declaring the Stage One Water Shortage, the OWASA Board decided that surcharges for high residential water use will go into effect on November 1st. The surcharges are set forth in OWASA’s schedule of rates and fees for water and sewer service as approved in June, 2007.

Our new rates effective on October 1st include increasing block water rates for individually-metered residential customers:

Volume of Use
Water Rate
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

(A typical residential OWASA customer uses about 5,500 gallons per month.)

On November 1st, under the Stage One Water Shortage surcharges, the Block 4 water rate will increase to $11.19 per 1,000 gallons (1.5 times the normal Block 4 rate) and the Block 5 water rate will increase to $26.10 per 1,000 gallons (2 times the normal Block 5 rate). The surcharges are intended to strongly discourage high water use.

During a Stage One Water Shortage, there are no surcharges on water rate blocks 1 through 3 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. Additional and higher surcharges would apply if the OWASA Board declares a more severe water shortage.

For More Information or to Report Water Waste

We encourage you to contact us for more information about ways to conserve water and to report actual or possible water leaks and water use in violation of the conservation requirements.

We will follow up on all reported violations of the water conservation ordinance adopted by the Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro and Orange County for OWASA customers, and will take appropriate action including disconnection of service where appropriate for repeated, willful violations of the ordinance.

Please feel free to call us at 968-4421; send e-mail to webmaster@owasa.org; visit our website, www.owasa.org; send a fax to 968-4464 or visit or write to us at 400 Jones Ferry Road, PO Box 366, Carrboro, NC 27510.

OWASA is the community-owned, non-profit public water and sewer agency
serving the Carrboro-Chapel Hill community.

WATER CONSERVATION: part of our community’s SUSTAINABLE quality of life