Creedmoor, N.C. — A dredging project to help improve water quality in Creedmoor has been repeatedly delayed, and local residents are demanding action to head off big increases in their water bills.

The city tacked a surcharge on local water bills several years ago to help pay for the Lake Rogers dredging project. Last year, city  officials said the dredging would be done in January. Now, the drought is putting the project on hold again.

Creedmoor stopped producing its own water last summer after the water level of Lake Rogers dropped so low there was too much sediment in it. The dredging was supposed to help that, but Mayor Darryl Moss said the water level is too low to even start the project.

"If we had water in Lake Rogers, we could be making water today, which we can't. We're having to buy it from (the South Granville Water and Sewer Authority," Moss said.

Mayor Pro Tem Tim Karan said the drought has dried the lake significantly, but the lack of a state permit is the primary reason for the delays in the dredging project.

"I think that's kind of putting the cart before the horse," Karan said of blaming the drought for the delay. "(Moss is) thinking about C and D when I'm still worried about A and B."

He said the city could get a permit from the state Division of Water Quality at any time.

Regardless of the reason for the delay, the clock is ticking on the city.

Creedmoor is facing pressure to sell its water infrastructure to the South Granville Water and Sewer Authority, and if the sale doesn't happen in the next two months, city water customers could see big increases in their water bills, Karan said.