Durham

The Division of Water Resources (DWR) provides the data contained within this Local Water Supply Plan (LWSP) as a courtesy and service to our customers. DWR staff does not field verify data. Neither DWR, nor any other party involved in the preparation of this LWSP attests that the data is completely free of errors and omissions. Furthermore, data users are cautioned that LWSPs labeled PROVISIONAL have yet to be reviewed by DWR staff. Subsequent review may result in significant revision. Questions regarding the accuracy or limitations of usage of this data should be directed to the water system and/or DWR.

1. System Information

Contact Information

Complete

Water System Name: Durham   PWSID: 03-32-010
Mailing Address:101 City Hall Plaza
Durham, NC 27701
Ownership:Municipality
 
Contact Person:Kieu TranTitle:Water Resources Analyst
Phone:919-560-4381Cell/Mobile:--
 
Secondary Contact:Reginald Hicks Phone:919-560-4381
Mailing Address:1600 Mist Lake Drive
Durham, NC 27704
Cell/Mobile:--
Distribution System
Line Type Size Range (Inches) Estimated % of lines
Asbestos Cement 6-8 0.01 %
Cast Iron 2-24 19.62 %
Ductile Iron 1-9 79.90 %
Other 1-12 0.47 %
What are the estimated total miles of distribution system lines?   1,311 Miles
How many feet of distribution lines were replaced during 2025?   13,720 Feet
How many feet of new water mains were added during 2025?   88,851 Feet
How many meters were replaced in 2025?   2,062
How old are the oldest meters in this system?   38 Year(s)
How many meters for outdoor water use, such as irrigation, are not billed for sewer services?   4,000
What is this system's finished water storage capacity?   24.5000 Million Gallons
Has water pressure been inadequate in any part of the system since last update? Line breaks that were repaired quickly should not be included.   No

1. The City has a robust rehabilitation and replacement strategy for the distribution system. In addition to replacing 80+ year old pipes in the downtown area, the City continues to replace AC water lines.
2. The City continually improves its distribution system data. As such, lines identified as type unknown or misidentified are reclassified as data improve.
3. Previous estimations of distribution lines included other pipes, such as blow offs, bypasses, and hydrant lines. This estimation is now limited to distribution system mains.
4. All of the customer water meters have now been replaced with AMR meters.

Programs
Does this system have a program to work or flush hydrants?   Yes, Annually
Does this system have a valve exercise program?   Yes, Annually
Does this system have a cross-connection program?   Yes
Does this system have a program to replace meters?   Yes
Does this system have a plumbing retrofit program?   Yes
Does this system have an active water conservation public education program?   Yes
Does this system have a leak detection program?   No

1. The department continues a successful collaboration with the Fire Department (FD) in which FD staff regularly exercise hydrants. When problems are found, they generate work orders for Water & Sewer Maintenance staff. This continues to increase the reliability of the system for fire protection.
2. In addition to offering low cost/no cost water efficiency devices at community events and at City Hall, the City also incents the replacement of water wasting toilets by offering a credit on customer water bills of up to $100 when replaced with EPA WaterSense toilets. Staff are exploring opportunities to work more closely with low-income customers regarding the toilet replacement program. Conservation staff have an ongoing presence in the community, actively promoting water efficiency at more than 78 public events during the year and maintaining an active presence on website and social media.
3. Crews are deployed in the field periodically using ultrasonic listening devices. A more proactive program will be explored in the future.

Water Conservation
What type of rate structure is used?   Increasing Block
How much reclaimed water does this system use?   1.6503 MGD   For how many connections?   3
Does this system have an interconnection with another system capable of providing water in an emergency?   Yes

1. The City has an increasing block rate for single family residential customers who are billed for water with a 5 tiered system. Commercial/Industrial/Institutional customers are billed at Tier 3. Irrigation customers are billed at Tier 5. Sewer for all customers is billed at a flat rate.
2. The North Durham Water Reclamation Facility (NDWRF) dispenses bulk reclaimed water. NDWRF also supplies the Mist Lake Administration Building with reclaimed water for toilet flushing. The South Durham Water Reclamation Facility (SDWRF) bulk reclaimed water system is not currently active. The SDWRF also supplies the Compliance Services Building with reclaimed water for toilet flushing. Reclaimed/Reused water is used internally for processes at both NDWRF and SDWRF.
3. Durham has 9 interconnections with other towns and utilities for emergency use. Cary and OWASA are "on call" for planned maintenance activities; this is reciprocated by Durham.

2. Water Use Information

Service Area
Sub-Basin(s)% of Service Population
Neuse River (10-1)50 %
Haw River (02-1)50 %
County(s)% of Service Population
Durham100 %
What was the year-round population served in 2025?   333,490
Has this system acquired another system since last report?   No

The service area population estimate is based on the billing data for single family and multi family water accounts, and the City and County population estimates was provided by the Durham City-County Planning Department (DCCPD). However, the updated population data from DCCPD was not available for this report, the most recent available estimate was from the previous year.

Water Use by Type
Type of Use Metered
Connections
Metered
Average Use (MGD)
Non-Metered
Connections
Non-Metered
Estimated Use (MGD)
Residential 102,619 14.7000 0 0.0000
Commercial 6,254 6.8700 0 0.0000
Industrial 126 2.0200 0 0.0000
Institutional 1,216 3.0400 0 0.0000

How much water was used for system processes (backwash, line cleaning, flushing, etc.)?   1.1210 MGD

System processes included backwash, line cleaning, flushing, and firefighting services.

Water Sales
Purchaser PWSID Average
Daily Sold
(MGD)
Days
Used
Contract Required to
comply with water
use restrictions?
Pipe Size(s)
(Inches)
Use
Type
MGD Expiration Recurring
Cary 03-92-020 0.0000 0 2028 Yes Yes 16 Emergency
Chatham Co (North) 03-19-126 0.0990 365 4.0000 2031 No Yes 16 Regular
City of Raleigh 03-92-010 0.0000 0 2043 Yes Yes 24 Emergency
Hillsborough 03-68-015 1.0000 8 2025 Yes Yes 16 Emergency
Orange-Alamance 03-68-020 0.0000 0 No Yes Emergency
OWASA 03-68-010 0.0000 0 2029 No Yes 12 Emergency

1. The agreement with Chatham County has a duration that continues until the date that the Regional Water Treatment Facility on the west side of B. Everett Jordan Lake is fully operational, currently estimated as the year 2031.
2. The agreement for Mutual Aid with Orange-Alamance requires transfer of water through the Hillsborough interconnection.

3. Water Supply Sources

Monthly Withdrawals & Purchases
Average Daily
Use (MGD)
Max Day
Use (MGD)
Average Daily
Use (MGD)
Max Day
Use (MGD)
Average Daily
Use (MGD)
Max Day
Use (MGD)
Jan 27.5300 40.2400 May 29.3900 37.3800 Sep 32.3600 37.9100
Feb 27.2200 33.8100 Jun 31.0900 36.8400 Oct 30.0300 36.9000
Mar 29.6000 36.5300 Jul 32.4800 38.0400 Nov 27.1000 33.8000
Apr 29.4700 37.9500 Aug 31.0700 35.2000 Dec 26.0700 32.2000

Surface Water Sources
Stream Reservoir Average Daily Withdrawal Maximum Day
Withdrawal (MGD)
Available Raw
Water Supply
Usable On-Stream
Raw Water Supply
Storage (MG)
MGD Days Used MGD * Qualifier
Cape Fear Jordan Lake 0.0000 0 0.0000 16.5000 SY50 2,462.0000
Eno River 0.0000 0 0.0000 5.0000 CUA 0.0000
Eno River Teer/Hanson Quarry 0.0000 0 0.0000 6.2000 SY50 0.0000
Flat River Lake Michie 15.4000 327 31.1700 11.3000 SY50 2,691.0000
Little River Little River Reservoir 15.6100 365 36.9900 15.6000 SY50 4,484.0000

* Qualifier: C=Contract Amount, SY20=20-year Safe Yield, SY50=50-year Safe Yield, F=20% of 7Q10 or other instream flow requirement, CUA=Capacity Use Area Permit

Surface Water Sources (continued)
Stream Reservoir Drainage Area
(sq mi)
Metered? Sub-Basin County Year
Offline
Use
Type
Cape Fear Jordan Lake 1,690 Yes Haw River (02-1) Chatham Regular
Eno River 144 Yes Neuse River (10-1) Chatham Emergency
Eno River Teer/Hanson Quarry 0 Yes Neuse River (10-1) Durham Emergency
Flat River Lake Michie 168 Yes Neuse River (10-1) Durham Regular
Little River Little River Reservoir 97 Yes Neuse River (10-1) Durham Regular
What is this system's off-stream raw water supply storage capacity?   135 Million gallons
Are surface water sources monitored?   Yes, Weekly
Are you required to maintain minimum flows downstream of its intake or dam?   Yes
Does this system anticipate transferring surface water between river basins?   Yes

1. Changes in safe yields and raw water supply storage for Lake Michie and Little River Reservoir are a result of recent bathymetric surveys completed in 2022.
2. 135 MG off-stream raw water storage is the combined capacity of terminal reservoirs at Brown WTP (90) MG) and Williams WTP (45 MG).
3. Durham can only access its Jordan Lake allocation as treated water via the Town of Cary. Withdrawals from Cape Fear/Jordan Lake are reported as purchases from Town of Cary to prevent double counting.
4. The City of Durham has initiated the development of the Durham Water Treatment Plant near South Durham WRF, along with continuing the work of the Western Intake Partnership Intake & Raw Water Pump Station, and raw water transmission line to Durham.
5. Durham has a required minimum release for the Little River Dam & Reservoir. Durham recently installed the infrastructure necessary to make a minimum release from Lake Michie which began operation in December 2019.
6. Full utilization of Teer Quarry is planned as off-line storage with an estimated volume of 1,480 MG.
7. Lake Michie Mag meter was out during the construction upgrades at Lake Michie. Standpipe meter was used for Lake Michie withdrawal from January to June.

Water Purchases From Other Systems
Seller PWSID Average
Daily Purchased
(MGD)
Days
Used
Contract Required to
comply with water
use restrictions?
Pipe Size(s)
(Inches)
Use
Type
MGD Expiration Recurring
Cary 03-92-020 0.1333 1 2028 Yes Yes 16 Emergency
Chatham Co 03-19-126 0.0000 0 2031 No Yes 16 Emergency
City of Raleigh 03-92-010 0.0000 0 2043 Yes Yes 24 Emergency
Hillsborough 03-68-015 0.0000 0 2025 Yes Yes 16 Emergency
Orange-Alamance 03-68-020 0.0000 0 No Yes Emergency
OWASA 03-68-010 0.0000 0 2029 Yes Yes 12 Emergency

The water purchased from the Town of Cary comes from the City of Durham's Jordan Lake water supply storage allocation. The Town of Cary reports this as a sale to Durham in its Local Water Supply Plan. In order to prevent double counting, this flow is not being reported as a surface water withdrawal by Durham in Surface Water Sources, above.

Water Treatment Plants
Plant Name Permitted Capacity
(MGD)
Is Raw Water Metered? Is Finished Water Ouput Metered? Source
Brown Water Treatment Plant 42.0000 Yes Yes Lake Michie, Little River
Williams Water Treatment Plant 22.0000 Yes Yes Lake Michie, Little River
Did average daily water production exceed 80% of approved plant capacity for five consecutive days during 2025?  No
     If yes, was any water conservation implemented?  
Did average daily water production exceed 90% of approved plant capacity for five consecutive days during 2025?  No
     If yes, was any water conservation implemented?  
Are peak day demands expected to exceed the water treatment plant capacity in the next 10 years?  No

The expansion at the Brown Treatment Plant from 30 MGD to 42 MGD addressed peak demands. Construction was completed in 2020.

4. Wastewater Information

Monthly Discharges
Average Daily
Discharge (MGD)
Average Daily
Discharge (MGD)
Average Daily
Discharge (MGD)
Jan 19.3200 May 21.1900 Sep 18.4800
Feb 24.3700 Jun 20.4000 Oct 18.5100
Mar 22.0300 Jul 21.9000 Nov 17.3800
Apr 21.4200 Aug 22.7900 Dec 17.6400

How many sewer connections does this system have?   103,592
How many water service connections with septic systems does this system have?   2,211
Are there plans to build or expand wastewater treatment facilities in the next 10 years?   No

1. The number of service connections with septic systems is based on the number of water-only accounts and parcel-based information from the Durham County Department of Public Health, Onsite Water Protection.
2. Both NDWRF and SDWRF have improvements under construction for side stream treatment to meet more stringent nutrient limits. No capacity expansion is planned.

Wastewater Permits
Permit Number Type Permitted Capacity
(MGD)
Design Capacity
(MGD)
Average Annual
Daily Discharge
(MGD)
Maximum Day Discharge
(MGD)
Receiving Stream Receiving Basin
NC0023841 WWTP 20.0000 20.0000 9.7900 26.8000 Ellerbee Creek Neuse River (10-1)
NC0047957 WWTP 20.0000 20.0000 10.6500 26.8900 New Hope Creek Haw River (02-1)
Wastewater Interconnections
Water System PWSID Type Average Daily Amount Contract
Maximum (MGD)
MGD Days Used
Durham Co. WWTP 03-32-010 Discharging 2.7940 365

This meter was in service for the entire year.
The 2.794 MGD sent to Durham County WWTP is not included in monthly flows. The same methodology has been used for the past 10 years.

5. Planning

Projections
  2025 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070
Year-Round Population 333,490 351,379 397,215 443,341 487,444 531,546
Seasonal Population 0 0 0 0 0 0
 
Residential 14.7000 15.6000 17.0000 18.6000 20.2000 21.9000
Commercial 6.8700 5.8000 6.7000 8.2000 9.7000 11.2000
Industrial 2.0200 1.4000 1.4000 1.4000 1.4000 1.4000
Institutional 3.0400 2.5000 2.9000 3.5000 4.2000 4.8000
System Process 1.1210 0.7000 0.7000 0.8000 0.9000 1.0000
Unaccounted-for 1.5352 4.6000 4.3000 4.8000 5.4000 5.9000

Population projection from Long Range Water Resources Plan (LRWRP) Table 6-2. Water Use projections from LRWRP Table 6-8


Future Supply Sources
Source Name PWSID Source Type Additional Supply Year Online Year Offline Type
Teer Quarry 03-32-010 Surface 6.2000 2025 Regular

Durham is planning to install permanent infrastructure to access the Teer Quarry storage. Teer Quarry should be integrated into the water supply system by 2028 and will provide supply resiliency during droughts.

Demand v/s Percent of Supply
  2025 2030 2040 2050 2060 2070
Surface Water Supply 43.4000 43.4000 43.4000 43.4000 43.4000 43.4000
Ground Water Supply 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
Purchases 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
Future Supplies 6.2000 6.2000 6.2000 6.2000 6.2000
Total Available Supply (MGD) 43.4000 49.6000 49.6000 49.6000 49.6000 49.6000
Service Area Demand 29.2862 30.6000 33.0000 37.3000 41.8000 46.2000
Sales 0.1209 4.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
Future Sales 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000 0.0000
Total Demand (MGD) 29.4071 34.6000 33.0000 37.3000 41.8000 46.2000
Demand as Percent of Supply 68% 70% 67% 75% 84% 93%

The purpose of the above chart is to show a general indication of how the long-term per capita water demand changes over time. The per capita water demand may actually be different than indicated due to seasonal populations and the accuracy of data submitted. Water systems that have calculated long-term per capita water demand based on a methodology that produces different results may submit their information in the notes field.

Your long-term water demand is 44 gallons per capita per day. What demand management practices do you plan to implement to reduce the per capita water demand (i.e. conduct regular water audits, implement a plumbing retrofit program, employ practices such as rainwater harvesting or reclaimed water)? If these practices are covered elsewhere in your plan, indicate where the practices are discussed here.    We are not making any changes at present. A Long Range Water Resources Plan has been completed that includes an evaluation of our current water efficiency and conservation programs and the development of a new water efficiency and conservation plan.

Are there other demand management practices you will implement to reduce your future supply needs?   1. Durham will continue to implement and expand its robust water conservation/efficiency program, including enforcement of the Alternate Day Watering schedule and conducting Water Use Assessments for residential and small commercial customers.
2. Durham has a contract with Waste Reduction Partners to provide water assessments for our larger industrial, commercial, and institutional customers.
3. Expanded leak detection activities will augment the current data-logging to extract information from electronic meters.
4. City Council and Administration continue to support pricing signals by approving incremental adjustments to the tiered rate structure for single family residential water customers. The City also plans to evaluate alternative rate structures or budget-based rates.
5. A Master Plan for a robust reclaimed water system was completed in 2017 with the long-term goal of off-setting potable water demands.

What supplies other than the ones listed in future supplies are being considered to meet your future supply needs?   The City will continue to consider the expansion of Lake Michie as a potential future supply.

How does the water system intend to implement the demand management and supply planning components above?   1. The demand management components listed above are already being implemented.
2. Permitting efforts and procurement of progressive design build teams for both the Western Intake Partnership Intake and Durham Water Treatment Plant are underway.

Additional Information

Has this system participated in regional water supply or water use planning?  Yes, 1. The City of Durham continues to actively engage in regional planning efforts.
2. The City of Durham is a lead agency in the Triangle Water Supply Partnership (TWSP) which evolved from the Jordan Lake Partnership created by 13 local governments and water systems in 2009 to actively plan for secure and sustainable regional water supply.
3. The award-winning Triangle Regional Water Supply Plan is currently being updated by the TWSP.
4. In addition to TWSP planning activities, the City participates in other planning efforts which include the Triangle Area Water Supply Monitoring Partnership, Jordan Lake One Water, Upper Neuse River Basin Association, and Upper Cape Fear Basin Association.

What major water supply reports or studies were used for planning?  1. Demand Projections in Section 5 are from the City of Durham Water Demand Projections (2025) and are defined as the Baseline Scenario Water Demand Projections.
2. Several City plans were updated and used as resources for the Triangle Regional Water Supply Plan (TRWSP). Additional documents were prepared in support of the Environmental Assessment (EA) document for the expansion and upgrades to the Brown and Williams Water Treatment Plants.
3. Water Treatment Facility and Water Reclamation Facility Master Plans have been completed.
4. The Teer Quarry PER Update provided information for the local water supply plan as did the Reclaimed Water Master Plan.
5. Durham continues to participate in a number of studies by UNC faculty/graduate students through the Water Resources Research Institute/Urban Water Consortium to evaluate models for transferring water between regional systems to maximize system yields.
6. The Triangle Water Supply Partnership recently updated the interconnection study that was conducted by the Jordan Lake Partnership.

Please describe any other needs or issues regarding your water supply sources, any water system deficiencies or needed improvements (storage, treatment, etc.) or your ability to meet present and future water needs. Include both quantity and quality considerations, as well as financial, technical, managerial, permitting, and compliance issues:   1. The long term needs for Durham can be met by securing access to the current Jordan Lake allocation and by using Teer Quarry as a regular supply.
2. Both Lake Michie and Little River are very protected water sources, but the City is expanding water quality monitoring and adding treatment options for algae suppression to ensure water quality.
3. The City continues to invest millions of dollars to renew and rehabilitate the dam structures at the two reservoirs as well as maintain and rehabilitate the treatment facilities and distribution system to ensure compliance with current and future regulations.
4. Durham has invested in 9 interconnections with neighboring systems to ensure the ability to meet customer demand when there are issues within the system.

The Division of Water Resources (DWR) provides the data contained within this Local Water Supply Plan (LWSP) as a courtesy and service to our customers. DWR staff does not field verify data. Neither DWR, nor any other party involved in the preparation of this LWSP attests that the data is completely free of errors and omissions. Furthermore, data users are cautioned that LWSPs labeled PROVISIONAL have yet to be reviewed by DWR staff. Subsequent review may result in significant revision. Questions regarding the accuracy or limitations of usage of this data should be directed to the water system and/or DWR.