North Georgia College and State University is taking several measures to reduce water consumption in its daily internal operations and researching ways to implement other water-saving improvements in the future. The university – which serves more than 5,000 students, a number that exceeds the entire population of Dahlonega – is one of the top 10 water users in Lumpkin County and Dahlonega’s largest water consumer according to data from the City of Dahlonega Water Authority.

Representatives from the city met with North Georgia officials in late November to discuss current progress and share recommendations for the university to meet the state-mandated goal of reducing water usage by 10 percent.

“We feel confident we can meet the 10 percent target reduction,” said Julio Canseco, director of the NGCSU Physical Plant. “Given the fact that we have peaks and valleys in our water consumption, we'll still have high-use months and low ones but overall we'll conserve water.”

The washing of state vehicles and all outdoor watering in Lumpkin County and surrounding areas under the Level 4 drought restrictions have been banned by the state.

The largest area of water consumption on campus is in the residence halls, followed by the dining hall. “Our highest variable is 1,500 students living on campus and using the dining hall three times a day,” said Canseco.

All residents will soon notice a change when they shower. NGCSU maintenance workers are currently installing flow constrictors in all of the residence hall bathrooms to reduce the amount of water used in the showers.

“We're also considering reducing the flow of water in urinals,” said Canseco. “Other ideas being considered are the replacement of old washing machines with water efficient ‘front loaders’ and motion-activated faucets in academic buildings. Many of these ideas will cost money to implement so it will take some time to complete.”

Long-term options being considered include the installation of a waste management system, which would recycle and re-use the used water in the dining hall. Plans are in progress for the dining hall to go “trayless” in an effort to cut water consumption. Patrons will carry their plates of food to the tables without the use of trays.

“We anticipate substantial savings because many dishwasher loads are being done each day with just trays,” said Jeff Davis, associate vice president for Business.

Efforts to conserve water on campus began before Georgia’s current drought. The university’s swimming pool was found to be using an excessive amount of water more than a year ago. “We worked the plumbing to capture the pool water, re-filter it and re-use it. The water savings were quite substantial,” said Canseco.

A couple of major leaks were also detected and repaired near Gaillard Hall, one of the residence halls. Future plans have been made to hire an outside company to survey the university’s old water lines for possible undetected leaks.

“We'll need the students’ participation in our effort for success. They are our largest customer base,” said Canseco. “We need our residence assistants, Office of Student Affairs and the Student Government Association to inform our students on how they can help alleviate this water shortage even if not noticeable at this time. If things don't improve drought-wise, there is a distinct possibility of water rationing, with allotted amounts to users and monetary fines to violators.”

Faculty members are also finding solutions to use water resources more wisely. Robert Fuller, director of the NGCSU Environmental Leadership Center, and Richard Byers, associate professor of history, are partnering to study rainwater harvesting and other energy conservation initiatives on campus that could significantly reduce water and energy consumption.

“Rainwater can be used for all irrigation and other outdoor usage, and has interior applications, such as toilet flushing and laundry. The campus’ location and natural topography make it ideal for rainwater collection and use,” said Byers, who is originally from south Australia, one of the driest parts of the world. “I grew up using rainwater for all water uses.”