As the drought continues to worsen, Georgia’s colleges and universitites are taking drastic action to preserve their campuses.
Berry College, in Rome, is looking for water in a closed quarry on campus that ran off an under ground aquifer attached to the Oostanaula River. College officials say if the water quality is good and the aquifer refills continuously, Berry could have a new source of water, needed for its growing number students.
At the University of Georgia, outdoor watering is now completely restricted, which means no water for Sanford Stadium or campus lawns.
UGA spokesman, Tom Jackson, says the university may have to ask for an exception to the watering restrictions for its Botanical Gardens.
“It’s a collection that contains rare and endangered species. It’s like an art museum taking care of their paintings. It would be irresponsible to let that collection die to lack of water,” said Jackson.
And at Georgia Southern, a new irrigation system was recently added. It runs off recycled rain water that flows off roofs and parking lots, into ponds that pump the water over campus.
