Legislators have yet to publicly debate water conservation.
Just months after the worst recorded drought in state history, state lawmakers have not yet discussed some of Gov. Mike Easley's proposed solutions, including giving the state a greater role in local conservation efforts.
Cities, towns and farm interests have protested some of the measures, while private companies have asked for change.
Rep. Lucy Allen, a Democratic cochairwoman of the House committee handling the bill, tamped down expectations for major changes this year. She said some parts of the legislation will be addressed in a study of the state's water resources due by 2010.
"I don't know how much we can accomplish," she said, other than to "identify what can be the low-hanging fruit first."
Environmentalists worry that if action isn't taken when memories of the drought are fresh, it may never be taken at all. (N&O)
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Re: Conservation measures appear stalled
Here's your first "low-hanging fruit": all new developments should (by law) be required to limit impermeable surfaces and grade the unsurfaced land to encourage groundwater infiltration. We also need to install cisterns with the same vigor we install/service roads.
The bottom line is we need to capture a lot more of our rainfall, which will ease drought and cut down on stormwater runoff, which is apparently getting worse.