The D.C. area, including AU, has been under a drought watch since early October. While AU has not instituted any additional water restrictions as a result of the drought watch, it recently began implementing new programs to start conserving water, according to Willy Suter, director of Facilities Management.
The Drought Coordination Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments issued a drought watch Oct. 3 in response to dry conditions in the area. During a drought watch, the government advises people to restrict their outdoor water use. However, it does not make those restrictions mandatory, according to the council's Web site.
A rain gauge at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va., registered having received 26.84 inches of precipitation so far this year as of Saturday, 5.93 inches below the normal year-to-date total of 32.77 inches, according to information on the National Weather Service's Web site.
The watch will not likely be changed to something more serious, such as a drought warning or emergency, according to information on the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority's Web site.
The university recently began implementing two different programs to conserve water. It now uses Treegator watering bags to water trees. The bags slowly release water directly onto a tree's root system, allowing for deeper saturation without having water runoff, Suter said.
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D.C. RAINFALL TOTALS
On Oct. 3, the Drought Coordination Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments issued a drought watch in response to dry conditions in the area, according to the council's Web site. As of Saturday, the official rainfall totals in the area were as follows: Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport - 26.84" (2007 year-to-date); 32.77" (normal year-to-date) Dulles International Airport - 22.02" (2007 year-to-date); 34.87" (normal year-to-date) Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport - 27.79" (2007 year-to-date); 34.97" (normal year-to-date) Martinsburg, W. Va. - 25.61" (2007 year-to-date); 32.96" (normal year-to-date) SOURCE: Data on the National Weather Service's Web site |
"These steps had the dual goals of using less water and at the same time preserving campus plant material, and we believe that we have achieved both with these steps," he said.
Water is one of the main elements that needs to be preserved, said Caroline Lewis, a freshman in the School of Communication and an intern at Earth Day Network.
"We use it every day, multiple times a day," she said. "Anything possible to cut down on our water intake would be beneficial. With all of the problems facing the earth today, this is one of the easiest to reverse."
AU has been involved in a number of sustainability and environmental initiatives in recent years.
Last semester, Facilities Management attempted to reduce the university's use of water by installing low-flow showerheads and faucets in the residence halls. The initiative prompted criticism from a significant portion of the student body, The Eagle previously reported.
In April 2006, 71.2 percent of participating students voted in favor of the Clean Energy Referendum, which asked the university to get half of its total energy from clean power sources by 2012.
The university has also attempted to address environmental issues by creating a sustainability coordinator position in Facilities Management. Lindsay Madeira was the last person to hold the position, but she is no longer employed by the university, Suter said.
