More good news on the drought/water front

Ah, remember those bad old days of the drought? When folks waited with bated breath for the latest biweekly water update from Durham City Manager Patrick Baker? When councilfolk reminded us all of the need to conserve the dregs of water remaining in our reservoirs -- down at one point to just 11% of capacity? When the news media hammered home details about the number of days remaining?

Well, the good news is, we're out of the way of immediate harm. Baker confirmed at last night's City Council meeting that the reservoirs remain at 100%, with Durham relying on its two primary reservoirs instead of pricy Cary/Jordan Lake water and temporarily-accessed Teer Quarry supply. Factoring in the latter supply as well as the non-premium water supply (that below the intakes from Little River and Michie), and we're at 344 days of supply.

But here's the better news: water usage remains down relative to last year's pre-drought-awareness levels, with Durhamites using only 23.11 million gallons per day in May 2008 to date -- about a 25% reduction from May 2007's 31.18 MGD.

This is important news, since human nature and Mother Nature don't often see eye-to-eye, especially when it's within the purview of the former to go back to old habits after critical events like droughts are over.

But maybe, just maybe, this recent scare has moved folks to make better use of a precious resource. Is this the time when we're going to remember the lessons of the most recent drought and avoid the profligacy of old? I mean, heck, that not exactly enviro-conscious publication Reader's Digest ran a story this month focusing on water woes in the Atlanta region and in the western U.S. (Short of having Bob Barker ask you to conserve on water, I can't think of a better vehicle to reach the AARP set.)

It's a little too soon to think that, I'm afraid. Especially since our month-to-date rainfall at RDU is about 2.5 inches -- almost twice last year's 1.32 inches. Baker did note that there have not been spikes of water usage on or around the approved Stage III conservation watering days (Wednesdays and Saturdays), but that may be in part due to the natural sprinklers from the heavens above taking care of gardening needs so far.

Last year, above-average heat started around this time of year, in late May, then moderating slightly in June before getting really tough in July and August, the latter of which saw above-normal high temperatures almost every single day.

Not surprisingly, it's the degree to which the degrees rise, or don't, that will likely determine how successful the current conservation approach is working as the summer moves forward.