Task force seeks input about drought
Univ. works to plan conservation
CLAIRE MILLER
Issue date: 10/24/07 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
For the Ad-Hoc University Task Force on Water Resources, "every drop counts and every person counts" as the University deals with the severe drought.
The task force held a public forum Tuesday night in
the University Chapel to address the situation and garner public input.
"We have exactly 23 days, including weekends, to complete our task, and we still have a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time," said Lonnie Brown, an associate professor in the law school and a task force member.
The members were given the task of researching the situation and presenting recommendations to the administration on Nov. 15.
Brown said the task force met three times and researched what other universities have done in the past to address the problem.
"We have begun to put in place a broad-based public awareness campaign ... We will also endeavor to calculate the costs and expenditures" for the measures the task force will recommend to the University, Brown said.
Todd Rasmussen, a professor in the School of Forestry and Natural Resources, focused on the level-four drought.
"We've had below normal rainfall and a growing population," Rasmussen said. "And we were asked by the county to try to reduce water use by 14 million gallons a day."
Ralph Johnson, associate vice president of the physical plant, followed Rasmussen's comments with details about how the University is working to conserve water.
"Our grounds operations have put in native plants that are drought-tolerant on campus," Johnson said. "Also, by interconnecting our chilled water systems, we've reduced the evaporative loss of water."
Johnson said the University uses 550 million gallons of water a year, and his staff is working to reduce that amount.
"In the past three months, we have saved 16.5 million gallons as compared to July, August and September of last year," he said. "We're putting out the word. The physical plant is treating leaks as emergencies and dispatching people right away to fix the problems."
"It's important for students to remember that they are just as much a part of this community as they are members of their communities back home," said Katy Bowers, president of the Student Government Association and a task force member.
Kathy Pharr, co-chair of the task force, said, "This all can't come to you from the administration. The students need to be big drivers in this."
Pharr urged students to visit the "Every Drop Counts" campaign Web site at www.uga.edu/aboutUGA/water_update.html.
The task force held a public forum Tuesday night in
the University Chapel to address the situation and garner public input.
"We have exactly 23 days, including weekends, to complete our task, and we still have a lot to accomplish in a short amount of time," said Lonnie Brown, an associate professor in the law school and a task force member.
The members were given the task of researching the situation and presenting recommendations to the administration on Nov. 15.
Brown said the task force met three times and researched what other universities have done in the past to address the problem.
"We have begun to put in place a broad-based public awareness campaign ... We will also endeavor to calculate the costs and expenditures" for the measures the task force will recommend to the University, Brown said.
Todd Rasmussen, a professor in the School of Forestry and Natural Resources, focused on the level-four drought.
"We've had below normal rainfall and a growing population," Rasmussen said. "And we were asked by the county to try to reduce water use by 14 million gallons a day."
Ralph Johnson, associate vice president of the physical plant, followed Rasmussen's comments with details about how the University is working to conserve water.
"Our grounds operations have put in native plants that are drought-tolerant on campus," Johnson said. "Also, by interconnecting our chilled water systems, we've reduced the evaporative loss of water."
Johnson said the University uses 550 million gallons of water a year, and his staff is working to reduce that amount.
"In the past three months, we have saved 16.5 million gallons as compared to July, August and September of last year," he said. "We're putting out the word. The physical plant is treating leaks as emergencies and dispatching people right away to fix the problems."
"It's important for students to remember that they are just as much a part of this community as they are members of their communities back home," said Katy Bowers, president of the Student Government Association and a task force member.
Kathy Pharr, co-chair of the task force, said, "This all can't come to you from the administration. The students need to be big drivers in this."
Pharr urged students to visit the "Every Drop Counts" campaign Web site at www.uga.edu/aboutUGA/water_update.html.
Viewing Comments 1 - 5 of 7
Donald Duck
posted 10/24/07 @ 5:29 AM EST
UGA has a Lake Herrick which is full of water, a large pond at the golf course full of water and some smaller ones, a large pond behind womens sports full of water, and ponds out in cow fields on south Milledge full of water, and the Broad and Oconee Rivers which both pass through UGA owned property, and many smaller ponds in Whitehall forest full of water. (Continued…)
A
posted 10/24/07 @ 7:45 AM EST
....Possibly close the Ramsey pool?
Change Home Games To Away Games
posted 10/24/07 @ 10:53 AM EST
The University of Georgia will be forced to change the remaining games on the football schedule to away games. We must do this if we don't want Athens to look like Malibu next summer. (Continued…)
Julianna
posted 10/24/07 @ 11:18 AM EST
Perhaps the Georgia Center should discontinue its use of automatic flush toilets. Anyone who has ever been in a bathroom stall with one of these toilets can vouch that they never flush just once, but several times instead. (Continued…)
Like, ohmygosh
posted 10/28/07 @ 9:53 PM EST
When is someone going to come up with a novel solution... like maybe showering together with your boy/girlfriend??? Like ohmygosh... that is a totally bitchin' idea!!! I'm SO cool. (Continued…)
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