Wake County Water Conservation Continues
10/26/2007
Despite recent rains, Wake County is working to conserve and protect the existing water supply in the interest of public health and safety. The County has recommended policies to reduce water use in Fire Department training, wash Emergency Medical Services (EMS) vehicles less frequently and discontinue outdoor irrigation.
“Maintaining a quality water supply is essential to maintaining our quality of life in Wake County,” said Wake County Commissioners’ Chair Tony Gurley. “As we face an exceptional drought, I am proud that our Wake County employees are doing all they can to conserve on the job. I hope everyone in the County will do the same.”
Wake County General Services Administration discontinued all non-reclaiming outdoor irrigation on October 1 and has delayed fall and winter planting in an effort to cut water consumption. The County car wash was closed six weeks ago. Vehicles that must be washed are being sent to a private vendor that reclaims water.
Wake County’s Director of Fire/Rescue, Ray Echevarria, has asked fire departments in Wake County to conserve by suspending optional training that requires water use, conserving water during required training, and suspending routine fire hydrant flushing. Fire departments have also been asked to stop washing fire trucks (except in cases where fire trucks have been exposed to hazardous substances), stop flushing fire station floors and driveways (again, except in decontamination situations), and to limit washing of firefighter protective clothing to cases where hazardous-substance removal is required for firefighter safety.
"Washing fire trucks virtually every day is part of firehouse culture in the U.S.,”
said Echevarria. “The drought has forced firefighters to abandon that tradition in favor of the 'dirty-vehicle-is-a-civic-duty' water conservation approach."
Citizens are asked to report any leaking hydrants immediately. "What looks like a small hydrant leak can add up to hundreds of gallons a day," Echevarria said.
Since September, EMS ambulances have only been washed on an as-needed basis. In the past, some ambulances were washed several times a week. In an effort to conserve water, ambulances are only to be washed to remove any body-fluid contamination or to prevent a perception of public health or sanitation risk. Use of water for EMS station maintenance follows the same limits proposed for fire stations. Because EMS is provided in some parts of Wake County by contract EMS squads, Wake officials have also asked EMS contract agencies to follow the same procedures.
"Outside of decontamination, this drought has brought us to a point where washing an ambulance requires chain-of-command approval," said Wake EMS spokesperson Jeff Hammerstein.
County Parks have reduced the amount of watering. At Harris Lake, newly seeded turf is watered infrequently. At Blue Jay Point a rain barrel is used to water the garden. Guests are invited to read literature about the benefits of using native plants, which do not require watering, and to observe informational signs about how to conserve water.
Conservation tips featured on www.wakegov.com are one of the top page views since July. Visitors can find links to the latest water-use information by municipality as well as drought and water conservation resources.
On October 2, 2007, the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council classified Wake County as suffering from as Exceptional Drought, the worst hydrological drought rating. Hydrological drought refers to deficiencies in water resources available for water supply and is measured based on streamflows as well as lake, reservoir and ground water levels.
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