Residents, Businesses Conserve Water During Drought

OWASA is keeping a running tally of hundreds of reported violations -- not all of which are declared as such by OWASA officials -- by businesses and residents.

Ed Kerwin, executive director of OWASA, said both residents and businesses have followed water restrictions well. "My general belief is that the community complied quite nicely," he said. "Rarely was there a repeat offender."

OWASA used mailings, paid ads in newspapers, media coverage, Web announcements and signs around the area to inform the public about water restrictions. "Our efforts blanketed everyone pretty evenly," Kerwin said.

OWASA's public register of reported water restriction violations includes significantly more private residences than businesses.

Antonio Torres, El Rodeo manager, said his business received OWASA's mailing containing water use reduction suggestions.

A Chapel Hill resident reported the restaurant to OWASA for not waiting for customers to request water before serving it. The manager said the report was false.

"We don't serve water until we are asked," Torres said. "We have water now. Who knows if we'll have water later?"

Charlie Tsui, owner of Charlie's Chinese Restaurant, said he first heard of the drought restrictions through media coverage.

"I see it on TV every day," he said. "Everybody knows there are drought restrictions. My car hasn't been washed for six months."

A man approached Tsui about not waiting to serve water to customers. He said water always has been the drink of choice in his restaurant.

"You cannot eat without water," he said. "I've been in business 20 years, and I've never had a customer who ate their dinner without water."

Charlie's Chinese Restaurant continues to serve water to all customers but takes other steps to conserve.

"We never wash the front or back ground anymore," Tsui said. "I let the rain wash them now."

Glenn O'Neil, manager of The Grill at Glen Lennox, said The Grill was falsely accused of washing the back lot, an impervious surface.

"What we were doing was washing the floor mats from the kitchen," he said. "I can see how someone who was driving by could think that."

He said much of the water used by restaurants is required by health regulations. "We're not watering any plants or any lawns or anything," O'Neil said. "Anything we do is just to keep the restaurant up to health standards."

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