Gov. Mike Easley asked communities and individuals today to step up water conservation by taking steps ranging from ceasing all outdoor watering to turning off the faucet when brushing teeth.
Easley said he did not want to invoke his emergency powers to require water rationing. Instead, he said, local public officials should respond to the problem themselves to avoid running out of water.
"There's a solution to this problem," Easley said, addressing local officials at a conference of the N.C. League of Municipalities. "We can either create more water or we can use less. I don't know about you, but I cannot make it rain."
He warned that without greater conservation, some industries could be forced to close, throwing people out of work.
Siler City in Chatham County, for instance, faces the possible closure of two industries, which would mean the loss of 1,700 jobs, Easley said. The town has 80 days worth of water remaining, and officials there have asked people to cut water use by at least 50 percent.
"This drought is unprecedented, and the action I'm going to ask you to take has so far been unprecedented," Easley said. "I call on you to be decisive, to show your leaderships, to stand up and lead by example and to ask every member of your community to do more."
Read more after the jump.
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Of the state's 100 counties, 86 are in the two most intensive categories of drought, "exceptional" and "extreme," according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The National Weather Service foresees a drier than normal winter, Easley said.
"A little sacrifice now can prevent a crisis and a disaster in the spring," he said. He described the situation as being as much of an emergency as any ice storm or hurricane.
Easley said people should:
- Stop watering of lawns and shrubs. "It's mid-October. It's time to have a little brown grass in the yard," he said.
- Stop outdoor washing of homes, businesses and sidewalks.
- Stop washing cars. "A dirty car is a sign of civic responsibility nowadays," he said, drawing applause.
- Turn off the water faucet when brushing teeth or shaving.
- Stop using water in ornamental vessels.
Easley said he had issued a ban on all outdoor burning to avoid wildfires. "The last thing we need is a forest fire, because we don't have the water to put it out," he said.
He previously asked state agencies to lower their water use by 20 percent and said he might ask them to increase the savings to 30 percent this week.
Many communities already have imposed voluntary or mandatory water restrictions, as Easley noted. In Raleigh, for example, the City Council is scheduled to talk Tuesday about stiffening water limits already in place.
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