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Duke University Medical Center
VOLUME 24, NUMBER 32
AUGUST 12,1977
DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Living With
Less Water
By Ronald L. Wilson
Energy Management Office
At this time, there is an ample
supply of raw water in the Durham
reservoir at Lake Michie. However,
there is a limit to water treatment
capacity at the filter plant, which is
now operating at maximum capacity.
The fact that Durham is selling
some water to Chapel Hill does not
negate our responsibility to
eliminate unnecessary and
unproductive waste.
Some things we can do (and I'm
sure you can think of many more)
are;
• a. Shorten showering time.
b. Don't leave water running in
bathrooms or laboratories when not
in use.
c. If you intend to drink a glass of
water in a restaurant or cafeteria,
please do. But don't take a glass of
water, out of habit, with no intention
of drinking it.
d. In patient areas, use discretion
instead of automatically filling a
pitcher with ice water and letting it
warm up untouched.
i 111 iiiwiiliii
ON THE COUNT OF Nancy Stafford, director of
physical therapy clinical services, teaches the proper
technique fora three-person lift to radiology personnel. Lett to
right, they are John McGill, clinic assistant; Jane McIntyre,
neurotechnologist; and Bernard Brown, clinic assistant. The
"patient" is Janie Simmons, staff technologist. (Photos by lohn
Becton)
Conserve water at home, too.
Here are some facts that can help you to continue your water
conservation efforts at home. Every water-using appliance or activity in
your house can make a difference.
Water Fixture Water Consumption
Dishwasher 15 gcdlons per cycle
Clothes Washer 25 to 35 gallons p>er cycle
Toilet 5 to 7 gallons per use
Basin Faucets 2 to 5 gallons per minute
Shower 5 to 10 gallons per minute
Bath 25 gcdlons average
Outdoor Hose 5 to 10 gallons per minute
One drip of water can waste 20 gallons a day and a whopping 7,300
gallons a year. It's easy to see how we can all help by being concerned
neighbors.
e. Maximum filter plant load
occurs from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Try to
use water outside these hours to help
level out loading on the filter plant.
f. Irrigate at night where possible
to reduce water wasted by
evaporation.
g. Reduce the flow of once-through
cooling water to a minimum and
shut it off when the device is not in
use.
There are ways to conserve water
without changing our lifestyles
appreciably. If reduction in water
use does not appeal to you from a
conservation standpoint, then
consider the cost. Finished water
costs money; heating that water costs
money; and treating the water after it
enters the sanitary system costs
money.
Course Designed To Stop
Those Nagging Backaches
"Oh, my aching back" should be a
less frequent complaint in the
Department of Radiology thanks to a
comprehensive training program in
"Body Mechanics" which ended last
week.
Fifty technologists, clinic
assistants and messengers received
EVERYONE TALKS ABOUT THE WEATHER—And Abbott Lloyd, building maintenance
superintendent, decided to do something about it, as administrative assistant Jackie
Porcelli found out. She came upon this very real looking rubber snake hanging in
Lloyd's office with a sign attached saying, "Do not bother! Rain maker at work!" An
old legend has it that hanging up a black snake in this manner inevitably causes rain.
As this photo was being taken on Aug. 1, raindrops were starting to fall outside, as
they continued to do through the next day. (Photo by lohn Becton)
certificates from the Medical Center
Safety Office on completion of the
course.
In the first four months of 1977, the
medical center had 37 reported back
injuries compared to a yearly total for
1976 of only 71, according to Frank G.
Stevenson, safety investigator.
Preventive Maintenance
"If back injuries continue to occur
at this rate for the remaining months
of 1977, we can expect a total of at
least 148 injuries by the end of the
year," Stevenson said. "In order to
prevent back injuries from reaching
this total, preventive maintenance
must be initiated."
Because of the potential for back
injuries in operating heavy
equipment and lifting patients, chief
technologist Ronald L. Cromartie
requested that the preventive
maintenance begin in the
Department of Radiology.
The three-and-a-half-hour course
was presented by Nancy Stafford,
director of clinical services in the
Department of Physical Therapy, and
Elaine Eckel, assistant professor
of physical therapy.
Body Mechanics
The course included a description
and demonstration of the principles
of good body mechanics, proper
(Continued on page 4)