Raleigh Council OKs Watering Restrictions

Raleigh, N.C. — The Raleigh City Council unanimously voted Tuesday afternoon to impose mandatory, year-round water restrictions proposed by an advisory panel that studied water supply and the growing demand for it.

The restrictions are scheduled to go into effect July 2 and will limit when customers using lawn sprinklers and fixed irrigation systems may water their lawns.

Residents with odd-numbered addresses will be allowed to water their lawns only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Those with even-numbered addresses will have permission to water on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Customers will not be allowed to water lawns on Mondays.

The proposal came to the full council after a vote last week by its Public Works Committee.

Public Works Committee Chair Jessie Taliaferro had said she expected the full Council to approve the restrictions, which will also affect areas outside Raleigh that get water from the city. Those municipalities include Garner, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon.

Violators would first be given a warning and then be subject to a $50 fine. The penalty would increase if there was a third violation.

Raleigh leaders had promised a public education campaign to help customers adapt to the change.

Public Utilities Director Dale Crisp said Raleigh water customers consume an average of 52 million gallons of water daily and at peak usage, an estimated 70 million gallons.

Mandatory water restrictions in Raleigh were lifted last May after a six-month period in which the city's main source of water, Falls Lake, dropped 8 feet below normal. The city has been under voluntary water restrictions since 2002.