Wilmington water ban brings out tattletales

The historic Latimer House turned on its sprinklers Wednesday, and heads turned with them.Neighbors called, a board member stopped by, then came an inquiry from the city and questions from a reporter.“There has been a lot of reaction to that 20 minutes,” said Candace McGreevy, executive director of the Lower Cape Fear Historical Society, which runs the museum.It’s a sign of the times. In the week since the city of Wilmington implemented water restrictions, more than 200 people have called the city’s conservation hot line with complaints about water use, including calls about the Latimer House, whose perch on Third Street makes it highly visible.Looks can be deceiving, though. The Latimer House runs its own well, McGreevy said, putting it outside the city’s ban on irrigation. Still, McGreevy said they were doing all they could to conserve water. The front sprinklers were turned on Wednesday only because of a plumbing emergency that required turning on that part of the system, she said.“I am glad they’re paying attention,” McGreevy said. “We certainly don’t want to waste water.”Such public vigilance seems to be paying off in the city’s water conservation efforts as the state deals with a prolonged drought. On Oct. 16, the day before the city council adopted the restrictions, Wilmington gulped down 19.7 million gallons of water. A week later, use had dropped more than 20 percent to 15.2 million gallons.Much of the savings has come through cuts in irrigation. The University of North Carolina Wilmington, by far the city’s biggest consumer of water, has turned off its sprinklers with exemptions for new landscaping paid for by a state bond, said Jacqueline Major, who leads the city’s water conservation effort.“We are hoping that between now and the real cold weather, we get enough rain to get through winter,” said Robert Warren, superintendent of landscape services at UNCW.From July 2005 to June 2006, UNCW used 92 million gallons of water, more than double the city’s next thirstiest client, New Hanover Regional Medical Center, which downed 42 million gallons.With only herself and another worker taking calls, Major said response to the city’s hot line has been inundating. She estimated they had received several hundred complaints and more than 70 questions from people wanting clarification on such things as whether they can powerwash (no), wash their cars (only at a car wash) or use sprinklers on freshly laid sod (with tight limits).“It’s got to be kept to a minimum and only on brand new sod,” she said.So far, city workers have been following up complaints with phone calls, provided the caller leaves an address that allows them to look up the number. Some alleged offenders are startled by the call, but usually come around once they hear the reason, Major said.“The majority of people we have been calling or have been calling us are extremely cooperative,” she said. Until Nov. 5, violators face only a warning, Major said. Then they risk $500 fines.To speed the process, callers leaving complaints will not receive return calls, although their messages will be followed up, Major said.The Star-News is among the potential violators identified by the hot line, although callers might have been responding to sprinklers running before the ban. Terrie Millard, the newspaper’s financial services manager, said the company turned off its irrigation system on Oct. 17, the day the city council adopted the limits.