Raleigh issues 92 water restriction warnings in one week

The city of Raleigh issued 92 official warnings to Raleigh water customers last week for violating Stage 1 water restrictions, bringing the total number of warnings issued since the restrictions took effect on April 20 to 102.  Before last week, the city had only issued 10 official warnings since the start of Stage 1 water restrictions. 

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In addition, city officials also sent 25 "educational letters" to people suspected of a first violation of water restrictions, bringing that total to 366 since the restrictions began.

In the past seven days, another 161 violations were reported, increasing the total number of reported violations to 639.

Ed Buchan, Raleigh Water assistant director, told WRAL last week that the city of Raleigh would be stepping up enforcement. 

And that they did.

"We are now using all of the field staff to help report violations," Buchan said.

Last week City Manager Marchell Adams-David expressed concern during the Raleigh City Council meeting about the uptick in water usage among Raleigh water customers in the month of June.

She told city council members, “If the non-irrigation days continue to go above the limits we have set we will be coming back to you in July asking for some additional authority so that we can go into stage 2.”

Falls Lake is the main source of water for Raleigh Water customers.  This week, the water supply pool is 64% of a full supply. That is down from 66% last week. The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers said Tuesday morning, the Falls Lake dam registered a little under an inch of rain in the past seven days. 

Customers for Raleigh Water include more than 650,000 residents in Raleigh, Garner, Wake Forest, Rolesville, Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon. 

Nearby towns are experiencing similar shortages. Even with little rain, the Eno River remains lower than normal. 

“I don't think I've ever seen it quite like this,” said Hillsborough resident Dave Eiland.

Town officials announced this week that it has about 336 days of water remaining.

“The water is way down, you can't really swim in the quarry right now on the Eno because it's like stagnant, nothing, there's no nothing moving around,” said Durham resident Nathan Dixon.

In Hillsborough, water conservation is encouraged but restrictions won't begin until the supply reaches 180 days.

WRAL News asked town leaders why that's the benchmark. The utilities director says irrigation restrictions are year-round and many customers naturally conserve water, so that's what works.

The City of Raleigh said residents used an average of 66.1 million gallons of water per day last week, down from 71.46 million gallons per day the previous week.

Stage 1 water restrictions in Raleigh have been in place for months, limiting irrigation and requiring residents to follow watering schedules based on their home address.

Here’s what to know about Stage 1 water restrictions in Raleigh:

• Automatic and non-automatic spray irrigation is allowed between midnight and 10 a.m. 
• Homes with odd-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays. 
• Homes with even-numbered addresses may water on Wednesdays. 
• Irrigationof landscapes is recommended at a maximum of one-half inch per week. 
• Water customers must abide by required water use reductions and efficiency measures; penalties apply for noncompliance.

The city has published details about what State 2 or Stage 3 water restrictions would entail.

Even with different restrictions in place across the area...people are united about one thing.

"It ought to concern everybody," Eiland said. "But yeah, there's not a whole lot you can do if it's not raining. So just try to conserve what you got, and you know, hope we get through it."

If someone spots a violation, the best way to report it is to email Water.Conservation@raleighnc.gov.