Officials: Siler City Has 65 Days of Water Left

"When the Siler City reservoir is full, water is about as far as you can see," Chatham County homeowner Tony Clark said.

The reservoir is nearly empty now, however, and the drought situation has become so dire that Siler City has considered running a pipe 4½ miles to Pittsboro to tap into its water supply.

"The construction of the pipeline is logistically complex and expensive. I think the initial estimates are about $2.5 million," said Pittsboro town manager Bill Terry.

Another option for filling the reservoir would be to buy water from Sanford.

Chatham County had planned to connect the Sanford and Siler City water systems before the drought, but speeding up the process will cost Siler City an estimated $1 million.

Officials said Sanford has agreed to sell up to 1 million gallons a day of its surplus water to Siler City.

Until a permanent solution is in place, trucks are hauling about 90 loads of water every day from Jordan Lake to Siler City's reservoir. Two poultry producers are paying to have the water trucked because they need it to stay in operation.