Well Users Should Practice Conservation

• Chapel Hill Herald (NC)-October 13, 2007
• Author: BERNADETTE PELISSIER Columnist

Many municipalities around the state have announced water restrictions because of the extreme drought. These restrictions apply to towns and cities where there is a public or private water utility drawing water from a reservoir or river. But there are no water restrictions on the use of well water which draws upon the groundwater. It is not technically possible to monitor water use and available water levels for all those using groundwater.

I have seen two different attitudes to well water use during periods of drought.

The first way of thinking about well water is to view it as an additional source of water. In the past several weeks my husband and I saw several places with signs posted indicating that well water was being used. These places within the OWASA service area are using well water for spray irrigation of lawns.

Also, a friend of mine told me that in her neighborhood, which is on well water, many continue to water their lawns. Their message is that the use of well water is OK since they are not depleting the water supply in the reservoirs.

Still yet, others view the groundwater as an untapped resource to be used more during periods of drought. During the 2001-2002 drought, citizens came to OWASA public meetings asking for the drilling of wells to provide an additional source of water.

This attitude toward well water does not reflect the reality about water resources. The groundwater from which wells draw this precious resource -- water -- also has a diminishing supply during times of drought.

The second attitude toward well water recognizes the limitations of groundwater. Neighbors and friends express concern about the possibility of their well running dry. These friends who live on well water are dismayed at those who take well water for granted. They wonder why, during a drought, some think it is OK to use well water as if there were an unlimited supply. One neighbor has even taken to sponge baths to preserve water.

The varying attitudes towards well water reveal how little information is in the public mind about where our water comes from. How many know that their reservoir water -- also referred to as surface water -- is directly related to the groundwater supply used by those of us on well water in the non-municipal areas? What we do in one part of the water system affects the other part of the system.

For example, Cane Creek Reservoir (which is surface water) is fed by Cane Creek, which in turn is fed by groundwater at seepage points throughout its length. So if there is a drought and groundwater resources are depleted, the flow in Cane Creek decreases and the water levels in Cane Creek reservoir decrease.

Those who use well water as if there were no drought are not aware that if everyone used well water as if it was an additional water resource, we simply endanger the water supply for the entire community. If may affect the water supply for our immediate neighbors or it may be our neighbors in an adjacent county.

It is in the interest of all citizens in this county to ensure that we do not overtax our water resources, particularly since we appear to be experiencing serious droughts more frequently. This is the second serious drought in five years.

We all need to conserve water, whether our water comes from a reservoir or from a well. Fortunately, Orange County is beginning to take active measures to provide education for individuals on well water to encourage voluntarily conservation.

A county interdepartmental group -- H2 Orange -- is sponsoring a workshop on water conservation on Oct. 25 at the Orange Grove Volunteer Fire Department. This is the first effort I am aware of to provide water conservation education to individuals using well water. In addition to suggestions about how to conserve water, there will be information about why well water users need to conserve water. This is a pilot project and hopefully it can be expanded so that all Orange County citizens can learn about how best to preserve our precious but limited water resources.

Bernadette Pelissier is a retired social scientist who lives in Orange County and serves on several community boards. Readers can contact her at bpelissier@juno.com or c/o The Chapel Hill Herald, 106 Mallette St., Chapel Hill, NC 27516.