The Water Works Board of the City of Auburn enacted a Phase II Drought Warning on May 1, including mandatory water restrictions for residential and commercial properties.
While Facilities Management is not required to comply with residential regulations as part of the university system, supporting the local community continues to be a focus of the organization.
“In addition to our normal water conservation efforts that are currently in place, we want to be mindful of the city’s request to its residents and support more aggressive conservation practices however we can,” said Dan Whatley, associate vice president of Facilities Operations.
The university already practices water conservation efforts, including using low flow faucets and toilets in many buildings, automatic meter reading system to monitor water usage and spot leaks, and utilizing drip irrigation and self-watering planters throughout campus.
In light of recent drought conditions, however, doing more is a necessity.
“We’re reducing watering every chance we can get,” said Justin Sutton, director of Landscape Services. “Most of our watering is done overnight to lessen water loss due to evaporation and we utilize soak and cycle irrigation programs to reduce runoff. If we do water during the day, it’s only recently landscaped areas that require water so the plants can establish in the landscape.
“The majority of plants that we put in the ground are fairly drought tolerant, so they don’t require a lot of water, that includes most everything from our turf to our landscape plantings.”
To further support water conservation during this time, Facilities will:
- Eliminate vehicle washing for Facilities Management service vehicles.
- Eliminate hydrant flushing operations.
- Reduce pressure washing of walkways to “as needed” instead of running the normal daily schedule.
- Delay building pressure washing scheduled for after May 15.
Report water leaks, running toilets, dripping faucets or other water issues to your building coordinator, initiating a work order at fm.auburn.edu or by calling 844-HELP.
