Chatham County revises Stage 3 water restrictions

Posted Tuesday, October 2, 2007

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Pittsboro, NC - The Chatham County Board of Commissioners voted yesterday to make some modifications in the county’s Stage 3 mandatory water restrictions, which took effect on Sept. 24, 2007. The revisions primarily mean that county water customers will have limited hours on one designated day per week to water their lawns and landscaping plants.

The Stage 3 restrictions apply primarily to northeastern county customers, who are served by Jordan Lake. Chatham County customers served by Siler City water must follow Siler City restrictions. The county’s restrictions do not apply to residents of the county who are Town of Cary water customers.

“It is important for residents to note that Jordan Lake is nearly five feet below normal and this remains a very serious situation,“ said Roy Lowder, director of the County Utilities Department. “The drought continues to worsen across the state.”

As of Sept. 25, 2007, Chatham County was classified by the U.S. Drought Monitor as having extreme drought conditions. “Unless we get a lot of rain soon, we will most likely be bumped up to exceptional drought conditions, the highest level possible,” Lowder said.

Lowder reminds customers that those violating Stage 3 restrictions will not receive a warning before penalties are issued. A first offense is a $250 fine per occurrence, with the second offense at $500. A third violation means that we shut off your water service.

Stage 3 restrictions are mandatory and include the following:

Lawns & Landscaping
Watering of outdoor plants, including lawns, shrubs and gardens, is restricted to once a week on the following schedule:
• Odd-numbered addresses may irrigate lawns and landscapes only between midnight and 7:00am on Tuesdays.
• Even-numbered addresses may irrigate lawns and landscapes only between midnight and 7:00am on Thursdays.
• Watering with low-volume drip irrigation, hand-held water containers and hand-held garden hose is permitted any time.

Swimming Pools & Fountains:
Filling or refilling any swimming or wading pools is banned, including adding small amounts of water.

Vehicle Washing:
Commercial car washes using any county water must cease operation until further notice. As had been the case with Stage 2, other customers cannot wash any vehicles, including boats, automobiles and airplanes at any time.

Other:
Customers should not operate water-cooled or other equipment that does not recycle cooling water, except when health and safety are impacted.

Customers should not operate or add water to ornamental fountains, pools, ponds or similar items.

Customers should not use water from fire hydrants for purposes other than putting out fires or other public emergencies. If possible, fire departments should use raw water for fires instead of county water.

Customers should not use water for dust control or to compact soil.

Finally, customers should avoid any activities that waste county water supplies.

For more information on water conservation tips, visit the County Water Department’s website at:
http://www.chathamnc.org/Index.aspx?page=485 or call 919-542-8270.