As all the Triangle remains in the tight grip of a drought, the Town of Cary isn’t just providing water for its own citizens, but for Durham’s as well.

Since Sept. 25 the City of Durham has been purchasing between 1.6 and 2.2 million gallons per day of water from the Town of Cary to cover its depleted supplies.

Durham has had a hookup to Cary’s system for years, using Cary’s water in times of need.

Currently Durham receives less than 50 percent of its water from Cary, said Jim Harding, a civil engineer with the City of Durham. Durham’s main water sources remain the Little River and Lake Michie, Harding said.

Potable water from Cary is being pumped to Durham’s system at a cost of $3.02 per 1,000 gallon, with the money that the Cary receives going back into the town’s utility fund.

Cary has already placed water restrictions on its own citizens, and according to Public Works Director Mike Bajorek the town has about 380 days of water supply left at the current levels.

So why help Durham out?

“Cary is not an island. We are a part of the Triangle region. Not only is it the right thing to do, but since Jordan Lake is owned and operated by the U.S. Corps of Engineers and we receive our water allocation through the State of North Carolina,” said Bajorek via e-mail.

Jordan Lake — Cary’s main source of water — also has a large watershed to replenish its water supply, so far keeping Cary from being as depleted as Durham’s, Bajorek noted.

Bajorek said he is not sure how long Durham will be purchasing the water and that at present time there has been no operational impacts on Cary’s system.

Durham does have plans to build another connection to the Cary system, though the costs and time frame of that project have not been set, Harding said.

In Cary, town staff reviews the water supply situation at minimum on a weekly basis.

The Town of Cary recently extended the ban on use of irrigation systems, sprinklers or other automated watering devices for all Cary utility customers until at least Feb. 29.

Hand watering, pressure washing, and car washing are still allowed any day of the week, but the town is urging everyone to continue to be conscientious about water usage.

For its part the Town of Cary has done things such as: • Suspended all vehicle washing not directly needed for maintenance. • Shut down all ornamental fountains except for maintenance • Switched to using reclaimed water for street sweeping.