Watering with sprinklers is limited to once a week.

City officials have implemented mandatory water restrictions beginning Monday, August 27, to help conserve Greensboro's water supply. The first stage of restrictions limits the use of sprinklers for watering lawns and gardens. Watering is allowed one day per week, on your trash collection day. Those who have multiple weekly collections or who do not have City garbage service may water their lawns and gardens on Wednesdays. These restrictions have been implemented in conjunction with Gov. Mike Easley's call for North Carolinians to cut water consumption by 20 percent.

The drought has spread statewide, and stream flows and groundwater levels are approaching their lowest levels in recorded history. Water Resources Director Allan Williams said the water level in Greensboro's reservoirs is at 70 percent, and the City continues to purchase supplemental water from Reidsville and Burlington to help meet the demand.

> Visit the Water Resources website to learn more about the restrictions and other ways you can conserve. 

Council Votes to Support Climate Protection Agreement

The Greensboro City Council voted on August 21 to support the US Conference of Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. The agreement urges cities to cut their emissions by 7 percent over 1990 levels. The adopted resolution includes three key areas:

• Endorsement of the Climate Protection Act
• A commitment to continue the environmental initiatives already being undertaken by the City of Greensboro, and
• A promise to complete an emissions inventory by May 2008 to provide a baseline estimate of 1990 emissions levels. 

The resolution also included wording from the original US Conference of Mayors agreement and further customized the items in the agreement to include initiatives already underway in the City organization. Among those initiatives are land-use policies that reduce sprawl and preserve open space, bike lanes and trails, the use of landfill methane as a renewable energy source, sustainable building practices, the use of biodiesel, recycling, and retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency.

The emissions inventory, which will be conducted through partnerships with experienced volunteers and the academic community, will allow the City Council to create an action plan to establish appropriate greenouse gas reduction goals.

> Learn more about the City's green initiatives. 

Running to the Top Spot

Hagan-Stone's grass and mulch course takes the lead over other courses in the state.

Visitors to the Milesplit Network website have voted Hagan-Stone Park as their favorite cross-country course in North Carolina. Despite the growing number of cross-country courses in the US, every year more teams come to Hagan-Stone Park to run the course that has been called "The Best Course in the East." The Hagan-Stone course is popular because the layout allows spectators and coaches to view more of the race than at other courses. In addition, the all-grass and mulch course is great for runners. 

Questions or comments about this newsletter should be addressed to: Elaine Tricoli, Interim Communications Manager, 373-2421 or email.