town of cary preparing to Beat the peak BEFORE WATER DEMAND RISES this summer

Citizens Encouraged to Triple Their Conservation Efforts

CARY, NC – As temperatures continue to rise in the coming months, so will the demand for water, which is why the Town of Cary is taking additional steps now to beat the rush on water through this year’s Beat the Peak Campaign theme of “Conservation³” (conservation cubed) that encourages everyone to “Triple [Their] Your Efforts” and “Conserve from Every Angle” in order to use water wisely.  Part of the Town’s 10-year comprehensive, year-round water conservation program, Beat the Peak is the annual summer water conservation initiative to educate and encourage its utility customers about outdoor water conservation.

Now in its seventh year, the Beat the Peak Campaign uses several conventional and innovative information vehicles such as television ads, cinema ads, the Town’s Web site, local media interviews, direct mail, free WaterWise Workshops, and promotional items to educate and encourage residents to conserve water. 

“This year, we are asking residents to go the extra mile and multiply their existing water conservation efforts,” said Marie Cefalo, Cary ’s Water Conservation Team Leader.  “To help boost awareness, we are including ‘Conservation Cubed’ tips in the BUD newsletter and on promotional items, and tips are also available on our Web site.”  Cefalo noted that the annual campaign is one of many initiatives the Town has implemented to decrease the Town’s overall water consumption by 20 percent by 2015.

The Town also recruits block leaders – citizens who volunteer as grassroots environmental educators – to help reduce water usage.  Customers served by block leaders have begun receiving a promotional foam puzzle that folds into a cube and reinforces the Conservation³ campaign.  The promotional items will also be available to Cary utility customers at events such as Lazy Daze.

Conservation³ also represents the Town’s three year-round water ordinances aimed at decreasing demand by conserving water, including: Alternate Day Watering, Water Waste and Rain Sensor ordinances.  The Alternate Day Watering Ordinance allows customers to use automatic irrigation systems or hoses and sprinklers three specified days per week; watering by hand (with cans, wands, or hand-held hoses) is allowed any day of the week.  As part of the Water Waste Ordinance, residents are not permitted to over water their landscaping, thereby limiting runoff into storm drains and into the street.  Lastly, the Rain Sensor Ordinance requires a rain sensor set at ¼ inch on all automatic irrigation systems.   

As an added incentive, the Town uses a tiered water rate structure in which efficient and essential water uses are captured in the lower tiers.  Discretionary use such as irrigation can bump customers into higher, more expensive ones.

For more on these and other water conservation initiatives, click on Water Conservation at www.townofcary.org. 

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