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Rains are Refilling Durham Reservoirs

As of July 27, Durham Water Management reported 197 total days of water supply.

Wes Platt

Wes Platt

— 3 min read
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Rains are Refilling Durham Reservoirs
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Recent rains finally appear to have had measurable effects on Durham's reservoirs, bringing storage back to 50%.

That supply, plus water drawn from Teer Quarry and the Town of Cary, on July 27 gave Durham a total supply of 197 days - up 22 days from last week.

However, that doesn't mean we can go back outside and spray water everywhere. The Bull City remains under Stage 2 water restrictions, because we still need even more rainfall to return Lake Michie and Little River Reservoir to normal levels.

As of July 26, Lake Michie had received 10.08 inches of rain in July. Little River Reservoir got 3.68 inches.

The city continues to purchase 5.6 million gallons per day from the Town of Cary, allocated from Jordan Lake. Durham also is drawing almost 4 million gallons per day from Teer Quarry, which serves as an emergency water source.

Under Stage 2 restrictions:

  • No spray irrigation with city water.
  • City water can't be used to wash vehicles except at commercial or institutional car washes that comply with restrictions.
  • City water can't be used to wash exterior building surfaces, decks, sidewalks, driveways, roadways, or parking lots, except when cleaning is needed before painting or to address health and safety concerns.
  • Customers using more than 100,000 per day are asked to reduce consumption by 30%.

Some exemptions exist, such as allowing residents to use drip irrigation, hand watering, and tree or shrub watering bags. The city also allows watering container plants and commercial plants offered for sale.

Other exemptions cover certain chemical treatments, brief supervised irrigation-system tests, and recreational fields, golf courses, and botanical sites operating under approved water conservation plans.

In mid-July, it seemed like shifting to Stage 3 restrictions were a strong possibility. However, with the latest city update, Stage 3 is merely possible "at some point in the future," depending on water demand and weather.

Water Management has received 278 complaints about possible violations of restrictions, and has issued three violations based on those complaints.

Potential violations may be reported through the city’s Water Restriction Violation Report Form or by calling Durham One Call at 919-560-1200.

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