DroughtFriday, November 6
Durham has an estimated 81 days of water left, and it's buying from OWASA
The 5AM Chapel Hill team
If you live in Chapel Hill or Carrboro, this one's close to home. Durham is purchasing water from OWASA, which primarily serves Chapel Hill and Carrboro, and it has an estimated 81 days of accessible water left.
Durham's water supply by the numbers
- 81 days
- of accessible water, by Durham's estimate
- 31%
- of the two main reservoirs' combined capacity
- 400+
- Stage 2 violations reported, with no fines issued
Sources: WRAL, ABC11 Raleigh-Durham
Durham has also increased what it gets through Cary, which treats the city's Jordan Lake allocation, and it's pulling from Teer Quarry. Joe Lunne of Durham's Department of Water Management said, "While we are getting close to hitting the trigger for Stage 3, we aren't there yet." Rain is forecast over the next couple of days.
Little River Reservoir sits 19.08 feet below full
Source: WRAL
View as table
| Value | |
|---|---|
| Lake Michie (full: 341 ft) | 12.71 ft |
| Little River (full: 355 ft) | 19.08 ft |
- Stage 3 trigger: 10% chance of 25% storage within eight weeks
- Stage 2 restrictions: in place since June 15
- Raleigh's Falls Lake: 67% full
- Nov. 18: one year since Durham was first classified in drought
Under Stage 2, sprinkler irrigation is banned but hand watering is allowed. ABC11 reported Oct. 29 that Water Resources Manager James Lim said, "this is going to be something we're living with through the winter."
Sources: WRAL, ABC11 Raleigh-Durham