Officials Ask Students To Limit Water Usage

Reservoir levels have fallen from 75 percent capacity April 1 to 40 percent Aug. 13 due to a lack of precipitation, according to the Orange Water and Sewer Authority.

OWASA is currently enforcing Stage 1 restrictions, with stricter Stage 2 restrictions slated to go into effect Friday.

Students moving into some residence halls have received information with suggestions on how they could use less water in the bathroom and in everyday life, but the matter has been ignored in other halls.

"I think everyone needs to realize that water is a valuable commodity," said Ray DuBose, UNC director of energy services. "The one thing we need to do is to bring attention to the seriousness of the situation."

Students are asked to limit their showers to five minutes or less and to turn off faucets while brushing their teeth and shaving. Statewide restrictions also have been placed on watering lawns and irrigation, and students are asked to call 962-3456 to report sprinklers running during the day.

Carolina Dining Services is also cutting back on water use by using disposable plates and silverware, Dubose said. This will enable Lenoir and Chase halls to save 100,000 gallons of water weekly by eliminating the need to use automatic dishwashers.

Signs in Lenoir say students cannot get water from the soda fountain in Mainstreet Lenoir, but soda and iced tea are still available.

Even though the University is technically exempt from the town's usage restrictions, it is still trying to do its part, DuBose said.

"The University is part of the community and has to preserve water to conserve resources," he said.

"We need to make use of every drop."

But many students said they had not heard anything about the drought or water conservation techniques. They said the University is not making the students feel like the drought is a major issue.

"I've seen fliers on tables and a note on our door, but they didn't seem too serious," said freshman John Coggin, a resident of Mangum Residence Hall.

Jennifer Good, a sophomore living in Cobb Residence Hall, said she was not aware that individual efforts by students in the residence halls would make a difference.

"The only thing I saw is the styrofoam plates in Lenoir because they don't want to wash the dishes," Good said. "They didn't promote it in the dorms though."

Ellen Jones, the resident director of Hinton James North Residence Hall, said her residents received a flier in their information packets about the water shortage and how to conserve water while checking in.

Jones used to live in Florida, and said she has lived with these types of water restrictions for years because of the constant threat of drought and wildfires.

"I think it is important that the residents adhere to the guidelines," she said. "We have to do what we can."

Students have not complained about the situation, Jones said, and she believes it is because the guidelines cannot be enforced. She said the University cannot do much about students wasting water, but she hopes they will do their part voluntarily.

"We are not timing their showers or anything," she said. "We're going on good faith that they will adhere to this."

The University Editor can be reached at udesk@unc.edu.