In Our Cities
Since water is supplied and controlled at the local level, city governments or water authorities are the ones that determine levels of restrictions and how water is regulated. Water use rules and restrictions are determined at the local level where water supply and demand conditions, types of users and community needs and values can be best assessed. All water systems subject to G.S. 143-355(l) are required to write an individualized water shortage response plan or implement default water use reduction measures during times of extreme or exceptional drought. A link to the current list of systems and their water restriction status can be found here.
North Carolina General Statute G.S. 143-355(l) requires all units of local government that provide or plan to provide public water service to prepare a Local Water Supply Plan and to update that plan at least every five years. In addition, all community water systems that regularly serve 1,000 or more service connections or serve more than 3,000 people are required to prepare a Local Water Supply Plan.
A Local Water Supply Plan is an assessment of a water system's current and future water needs and its ability to meet those needs. By understanding current and future needs, local governments will be better able to manage water supplies and better prepared to plan for water supply system improvements. Local Water Supply Plans, as required by G.S. 143-355 (l), are the foundation of local, regional and state water supply planning in North Carolina. Beginning with the first set of plans in 1992, the Division of Water Resources has now completed several generations of plan updates, with steady improvement in the quality of the plans and the information they contain. If you would like to look at your community's latest water supply plan, please visit here and click on the "plans" tab.
With everyone’s help, North Carolina can continue to be a great place to work and live.