Gov. Mike Easley will call on local officials and the public to do more to save water when he speaks this afternoon at the annual conference of the N.C. League of Municipalities.
Easley's office is billing the speech as a "major announcement concerning the drought," but did not say whether the governor will do more than re-emphasize calls for local officials to impose voluntary or mandatory cuts in water consumption.
All 100 North Carolina counties are experiencing drought, with more than half, including those in the Triangle, suffering from "exceptional" drought. That is the most serious designation from the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Some water experts have urged Easley to require statewide mandatory water conservation; many communities have asked for only voluntary conservation measures or none at all. Earlier this month, an Easley spokeswoman said the governor can declare a drought emergency and require statewide cuts in water use only if supplies become so low that public health and safety are threatened.
