From the City of Lenoir

LENOIR, N.C. — As the drought worsens across the state and nation, the Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Group (CWDMAG), which includes Lenoir, is moving into Stage 2 of the drought management plan. Lenoir and Caldwell public water customers must reduce water use by 10 percent.

Each month during drought periods, CWDMAG evaluates lake levels, streamflows, groundwater, and other conditions. In the drought management plan, drought stages are determined by the following three indicators: (1) how much water is in the reservoirs, (2) how much water is flowing into the reservoirs, and (3) the U.S. Drought Monitor, a government site that indicates areas experiencing a drought and the drought’s severity. As of May 1, these indicators met the threshold for a Stage 2 declaration.

According to the US Drought Monitor website, much of the United States is facing drought, anywhere from abnormally to exceptionally dry. Most of North Carolina is facing severe, extreme, or exceptional drought. In Stage 2, Lenoir’s Water Shortage Response Plan calls for mandatory reductions of water use.

What Stage 2 Means

Stage 2 marks a shift from voluntary conservation to mandatory restrictions. While this stage does not indicate an emergency, it does require coordinated action from the community to protect the region’s shared water supply.

All water customers are expected to reduce their water use by 10 percent in comparison to their previous month’s water bill. The following restrictions also apply:

• Irrigation is limited to a half inch per week between 8:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
• Outdoor use of drinking water for washing impervious surfaces is prohibited.
• All testing and training purposes requiring drinking water (e.g. fire protection) will be limited.

To conserve water, customers can irrigate landscapes after 8:00 p.m. and before 8:00 a.m. a maximum of a half inch per week, wash only full loads in clothes and dishwashers, use spring-loaded nozzles on garden hoses, and identify and repair water leaks.

Consequences for Violations

Customers who do not follow the mandatory restrictions will face fines and disconnection of water service. Customers will receive:

• a warning for the first violation, 
• a $250 fine for the second, and 
• discontinuation of water service for the third.

Click the following link for more information about the City’s response to this severe drought, Water Shortage Response Plan.