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Wake County has not yet slipped into the
drought category although local
gardeners would dispute that. The North
Carolina Division of Water Resources
continues to label Wake as abnormally
dry although every county to the south
is already in a moderate drought
condition.
The only possible rain
forecast for the next few days is
scattered afternoon showers, and any
widespread rain is still days away.
There is a 4.06-inch
rainfall deficit locally, Terry Brown,
the water control manager for the
Wilmington District of the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers, reported Tuesday.
The weather will also be
hot, up into the 90s, which increases
evaporation from reservoirs such as
Falls Lake.
The level of Falls Lake has
slipped two-tenths of a foot from its
normal level and is now at 251.3 feet
above mean sea level. Normal level is
251.5.
That lowering means the
remaining water supply in the lake is
now at 98 percent, Brown said.
The City of Raleigh, which
supplies water to Wake Forest and all
eastern Wake County towns, close to
400,000 people, purchased the right to
withdraw 45,000 acre-feet of water from
the lake when it was built. That water –
and water for downstream water quality –
comes from the top 15 feet of the lake’s
storage, from 236.5 up to 251.5 feet, in
the conservation pool.
Permanent year-round water
conservation will begin Monday, July 2,
affecting lawn and garden watering.
The restrictions apply only
to lawn, garden and flower watering
using automatic or manual sprinkler
systems and sprinklers attached to
garden hoses.
If you want to water your
lawn or flowers holding a hose, you may
do so at any time. You may also use
water from a cistern, water barrel or
other collection system at any time.
There is no watering allowed
on Mondays.
If your house has an
even-numbered address, you may water at
any time on Wednesday, Friday and
Sunday.
If your house has an
odd-numbered address, you may water at
any time on Tuesday, Thursday and
Saturday.
If the water police find you
watering when you should not, they will
first give you a warning. For the second
and third violations, there are fines of
$50 and $200. If you persist and violate
the restrictions a fourth time, the city
will cut off your water. |
