Boylan Heights Taps Secret Water Supply

click the image to enlarge

In a surprise move this week, the neighborhood of Boylan Heights has apparently tapped into a secret backup water reservoir located underground. This may help to explain why the neighborhood is at the highest altitude in downtown Raleigh.

Seriously, this drought is for real. According to WRAL, the “Droiught Management Advisory Council” (I didn’t know that Droiught was a word, thanks WRAL) decided that the City of Raleigh has about 4 months of water supply left. Unless something changes. Read the report here. That was last month. Today, the N&O reported that we have 98 days of water left! Are you serious? As you can see from the above image, the city of Raleigh does not seem to be too worried about this, as they impose stricter and stricter water restrictions on you and I.

But what happens when we run out of water?

Tim10/17 12:26 PM

Here is a link to the NC drought monitor. At least Wake Co. is exceptional at something

http://www.ncdrought.org/

Here is a link to steps you as an individual can take to conserve water.

http://www.p2pays.org/water/TopTen.asp

erin10/17 03:45 PM

my question is why doesn’t the city manager think this is as serious as everyone else?

Dana10/17 07:07 PM

The City Manager probably isn’t screaming publicly because we only have a 1.2” deficit in rainfall over the last 365 days. That means we are only THREE PERCENT behind on annual rainfall.

So what’s all the fuss? Either water people are lying to us or our water treatment capacity is woefully inadequate for a city this size. We’ve had 47% of the normal rainfall over the last 2 months, but had surplus rainfalls during the previous 2. It’ll rain. Don’t panic.

Dana10/17 07:13 PM

It keeps truncating things! Try this one for the water graph:

http://tinyurl.com/2solzk

Jedidiah10/17 07:22 PM

I had a friendly source indicate to me earlier today that he saw WRAL using sprinklers at their studio building on Western Blvd. last night…

David10/17 07:51 PM

The very same site you are linking to shows most of NC in extreme drought and some to the west of us in exceptional (beyond extreme).

http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

We have been under averages for most of the past year inspite of June and July’s surplus.

“Either water people are lying to us or our water treatment capacity is woefully inadequate for a city this size.“

Maybe we could be using more water than is collected regardless of rainfall?

Your repeated dismissal of water concerns betrays an ignorance about the entire country’s coming water problems. If our behavior doesn’t change it won’t matter if it rains all the time, we won’t have enough.

Comments on New Raleigh change image links to the images themselves, to make a normal link in comments just paste the URL with no code.

Big Al10/17 08:44 PM

I’m looking at that image above, the picture with the article. What are they doing? Did anyone ask them? Are they clearing a storm drain? Was there a water main break? Is this a pressure test to assure there isn’t a leak in the water system?

Does anyone know given a 60 million gallon a day pumping rate if all Raleigh reservoirs were full, how many days supply there would be? Or what is the capacity of our reservoirs?

I’m just trying to wrap my mind around what the issues are.

Dana10/17 10:16 PM

“Your repeated dismissal of water concerns betrays an ignorance about the entire country’s coming water problems. If our behavior doesn’t change it
won’t matter if it rains all the time, we won’t have enough.“

Of course you know it is incumbent on you to defend your accusation of “ignorance”...or do you arrogantly throw that word around and relegate forums like this to mundane flamefests?

Mark10/17 10:59 PM

An even friendlier source (not a dentist) notified me that WRAL uses well water.

David10/18 02:30 AM

“Either water people are lying to us or our water treatment capacity is woefully inadequate for a city this size.“

Simply ignorance by assuming our water shortage is caused by either of the possibilities you presented.

Dana10/18 10:13 AM

Touche.

David wrote,“Maybe we could be using more water than is collected regardless of rainfall?“

This is the second scenario I mentioned in my “ignorant” statement, “Either water people are lying to us or our water treatment capacity is woefully inadequate for a city this size.“

David wrote,“...ignorance by assuming our water shortage is caused by either of the possibilities you presented.“

David10/18 11:27 AM

No its not your second scenario, you misalign our arguments. Treatment capacity is a moot issue when the sources are dry. When falls lake is dry I hope the extra treatment capacity you say we need can help convert dirt to water - or maybe come January the “water people are lying to us” will be valid too.

Barden10/18 01:23 PM

I thought I’d just interject here. It’s raining!

15010/18 01:26 PM

Dana,

According to the National Weather Service, as of October 17, RDU has received 26.39 inches of rain since January 1. Climatology indicates a normal rainfall of 35.72 inches in that same period. That’s a deficit of 9.33 inches.

Just showing this as an alternative to the data you presented. Facts like this are where “all the fuss” come from. You can always find ways to report data to help your argument.

You are right that it will rain, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t start being smarter about water usage, especially with the amount of growth here.

http://www.weather.gov/climate/index.php?wfo=rah

Stimmel10/18 01:35 PM

It’s raining in RTP!

Dana10/18 02:13 PM

Arbitrarily picking a 289-day period against which to measure rainfall is not as accurate as 365 days because seasons reset every 365 days. Remember that last November was one of the wettest Novembers on record. November is usually our 3rd driest month, but who’s to say that we won’t get more than normal rain next month?

By “smarter water use”, that sounds like code for people telling others how to use their water. While that is a prudent concept during a period of deficit, it IS NOT AN ACCEPTABLE POLICY during abundance. I can just hear the Water Nazi’s drums beating for restrictions during periods of surplus.

Chad10/18 03:22 PM

Smart water use is like smart energy consumption. Nobody should tell an individual how to use it because the individual should be smart enough to not waste it.

15010/18 04:04 PM

Exactly the point I was making, Dana. You picked interesting time periods to make your point. Look at the overall data, however. If you really think things are fine, that’s a problem. Unfortunately, that problem affects all of us. So yes, “smarter water use” is my way of suggesting to others to think about how best to use OUR water. You waste it on watering your car or lawn, for example, leaves all of us less to wash our bodies and clothes.

Also, the drought is more than just how much rainfall we get. It’s about when, and how.

Why isn’t water conservation a good thing in a time of surplus? It’s called responsibility, Dana. If you think water is an important resource, use it wisely. Prevent future problems by being responsible today. It’s a “prudent concept” regardless of deficit or surplus.

As a meteorologist, it’s troublesome to hear your perspective, as well as how you choose to voice it (water-Nazi comment).

15010/18 04:13 PM

Also, Dana, who cares what time-period we use to present the water data? Look in the lakes! The water levels are clearly indicating that we are below normal.

15010/24 10:07 AM

Looks like we’ll be getting a good amount of rain in the next few days. Not enough to end a drought, of course, but for those who have “cars worth cleaning”, here’s a great opportunity to go outside and wash them.

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Wednesday, October 17, 2007