Hospitality Task Force Tackles Water Conservation

Raleigh, N.C. — The Raleigh Hospitality Water Conservation Task Force -- a group made up of local restaurant and hotel leaders -- meets for the first time today to look at ways the industry can conserve water.

The average hotel used about 21,000 gallons of water per day in 2006, according to estimates by Dennis Edwards with the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau.

"What we're trying to do is get some sort of a standardization throughout the hospitality community in terms of what the hotels and restaurant communities should be doing to help conserve water,” Edwards said.

Some changes are already in place.

Customers are being asked to reuse sheets and towels during hotel stays and restaurant customers are having to request tap water.

Edwards estimates the average hotel in 2006 used more than 21,000 gallons of water a day. That translates to about 218 gallons of water for every occupied room, but that was before hotels stopped watering landscapes and began conserving water.

Restaurants are also cutting back. If you want a glass of water with your meal these days, you have to ask for it.