Don't flush those toilets, councilwoman tells Durham

DURHAM -- Councilwoman Diane Catotti is disturbed every time she uses a public restroom these days.

"This is going to sound crass, but I'm the only one I ever hear not flushing the toilet," she said.

"I don't see people taking this seriously."

"This" is the drought, which now has Durham down to around 40 days of water left in its main supply.

As water supplies dwindle, the need for conservation has heightened. But the track record of conservation in the Bull City has shown only slight improvement.

A month ago, Durham residents were using 23.69 million gallons per day, on average.

This month's average so far is 22.25 million gallons, down 6 percent from November and far from the 17 million gallon target the city hopes to reach soon.

Catotti worries that people aren't getting the message that Durham faces an emergency and that all residents need to do everything they can to save water.

She plans to make a plea at tonight's City Council meeting for a ramped-up public outreach campaign.

"We need people to take this seriously," Catotti said, adding that she hopes water use can go down to 10 million gallons per day.

She wants to see fliers posted in schools, churches and any other place people gather.

She also has pushed for the city to offer low-flow shower heads free of charge. They can be purchased for $3 now.

Durham officials have tried to push residents to conserve through water bill inserts, regular updates on the Web site and occasional print advertisements, said Vicki Westbrook, deputy director of the city's water management department.

More efforts will be rolled out after the New Year, but Westbrook said she wasn't ready to discuss them because they're still in planning stages.

Outreach to business and commercial users has shown more direct results, such as Duke University giving away 5,000 low-flow shower heads. GlaxoSmithKline is installing automated faucets.

Those haven't been enough.

Catotti emphasizes her top-five list of ways to cut water use.

* Replacing dishes with paper plates and cups;

* Installing low-flow shower heads;

* Placing bags filled with water -- available at City Hall -- in the back of the toilet;

* Placing a bucket in the shower and using that water to fill the toilet;

* "If it's yellow, let it mellow." This is the hard part for many, Westbrook said.

"It's a hard thing to unlearn, because you praise your children when they learn that," she said.

Westbrook understands that not flushing at the workplace might be difficult. She suggests having a conversation establishing "this is when we'll flush, and this is when we won't flush."

It's maybe icky, but the water savings would be significant if everyone cut way back on flushing, Westbrook said.

"Each customer should ask before using water: 'Is there a need there?' " Westbrook said.