The Chronicle

Issue date: 11/5/07 Section: News
Last update: 11/5/07 at 7:20 AM EST

Media Credit: CHASE OLIVIERI Rain showers last week were not enough to end the severe drought in Durham and the region.

Even though Durham County received four inches of rain last weekend, the added water did little to affect the drought, city officials said.

"The weekend rains only gave Durham about seven more days of water," said Eben Polk, associate in research at the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences. "Though it's helpful, this creates only a pretty small impact."

Durham should not expect that amount of rain over the course of three days to occur very often, Polk added.

Since the county still has a rain deficit of approximately 20 inches, it will take much more than a few days of rain to break the drought, he said.

"I think an inch of rain in a day is a pretty substantial amount and is not a typical rainfall" Polk said. "We are still in an 'extreme drought' and likely will stay that way, at least in the short run."

According to guidelines set by state officials, an extreme drought is the second-highest of the drought classifications and is characterized by major crop losses, widespread water shortages and an exceptionally high danger of fires.

In addition, significant rainfall is not expected until the spring, and regulations on water usage will likely stay in effect until that time, said James Lim, the conservation coordinator for the Durham Department of Water Management.

"The governor has requested that citizens cut back their water usage by 50 percent, and even with the recent rain, this certainly still applies," he said. "We have yet to see this amount of conservation... but we are still hopeful."

The latest rainfall increased the city reservoirs and lakes to an amount able to sustain 69 days of water consumption as of Monday, Polk said, adding that rain in the coming week is unlikely.

"What we got this weekend was just a small drop in the bucket," Lim said. "We are still a long, long way away from normal water levels."

In the coming months, however, milder weather may ease water consumption and result in the available water lasting longer, Lim said, adding that water use is highest in the hot summer months.



Future water usage

Even if the city received no extra water over the next several months, residents and students could still take showers and turn on their faucets as they normally would, Lim said.

Continued...

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