North Carolina is in the midst of a historic drought as Johnston, Wake, Durham and Orange Counties have all recently entered the most extreme classification, “exceptional drought.”

“The drought has gotten to the point that, if it doesn’t rain by January, some towns in North Carolina will run out of water,” said David Vandermast, assistant professor of biology.

The university is taking steps to ensure its green landscape does not suffer from the dry weather.

Tom Flood is the man who oversees campus landscaping and grounds, joked that his position should be “director of external marketing.” He has seen firsthand the impact the drought has had on Elon, including the deaths of about 20 trees on campus.

To combat this issue, Flood said landscaping staff members have spent less time mowing the lawns and have begun focusing more on watering newly planted trees and shrubs. To ensure the upkeep of the campus’ landscape, groundskeepers have increased seeding this year in anticipation of rain.

While less than one- third of the campus relies on irrigation, Lake Mary Nell, Lake Verona and the South Campus Pond supply 85 percent of the areas that require irrigation.

In order to sustain water levels, the ponds rely primarily on storm water runoff.

Traditionally, campus has also tapped into Burlington’s water resources for the remaining 15 percent of irrigated areas, but has recently decreased this dependency because of water restrictions.

This summer, funding was approved for a satellite- and web-based system to monitor the situation.

The funding also covers a weather station that will control the irrigation system based on rain patterns.

Because Elon receives a great deal of attention for its appearance, concerns were raised about how negative impacts to the landscape could be viewed by prospective students.

Greg Zaiser, dean of admissions, has seen no difference in how touring families have received the campus.

“Naturally we all want to see some rain around here, for reasons far beyond green grass,” he said.

Vandermast said students would benefit from basic information about the detriments of excessive water use. This might start in dorms on campus where, he said, preventative measures can make all the difference.

“Frankly, conservation should start long before it reaches the stage where mandatory restrictions become necessary,” Vandermast said.

Reporter: Robert Hoppey - 10/10/07