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Parents picking up their students and high school students who walk or drive to school <br />were being encouraged to leave earlier, officials said. <br />The Orange County Schools system, in Hillsborough and rural Orange County, isn't <br />impacted by the water shortage, according to Seth Stephens, its chief communications <br />officer. <br />The Chapel Hill and Carrboro fire departments contacted their mutual-aid partners <br />about provide additional water in case of a fire, town officials said in a news release. <br />Orange County Health Department spokeswoman Stacy Shelp said emergency officials <br />were meeting to plan a response and have trained in similar situa tions. <br />“I think the main concern is not depleting the water supply to (UNC’s) hospital,” Shelp <br />said, adding that the hospital does have some backup supplies. <br />UNC Hospitals officials said their facility would remain open, with instructions to staff to <br />use water for patient care as they normally would. But they urged employees to cut <br />back on other, non-essential uses. Officials said water tankers will be used to keep the <br />hospital supplied. <br />In Carrboro, the town's Fire Rescue Department contacted what it deems "high risk <br />locations with non-ambulatory persons" to figure out what they need and help them <br />secure "necessary provisions including water and bathroom facilities." <br />Utilities like OWASA, Hillsborough and Durham add fluoride to treated water to prevent <br />tooth decay. <br />Though its use is controversial and some European countries do not add it to their water <br />supplies, “the reality is fluoride is the 13th most common element in the earth’s crust,” <br />said Tim Wright, chairman of the department of pediatric dentistry at the UNC School of <br />Dentistry.