BRUNSWICK COUNTY — Brunswick County is under a water conservation alert, as demand has exceeded 80% of production and capacity.
The stage one alert recommends customers make voluntary adjustments to water usage and forego nonessential needs. Irrigation makes up the bulk of nonessential use, so limiting the days of water used in this area will help with capacity, particularly avoiding peak hours (see below for bulleted list of suggestions).
Brunswick County staff noted in a release Thursday that it’s importance to adjust habits now, particularly as Independence Day approaches, with water demands expected to increase further due to tourism numbers escalating.
Customers of Brunswick County Public Utilities are impacted. The utility provides water service in unincorporated portions of the county and to municipalities, including Boiling Spring Lakes, Bolivia, Calabash, Carolina Shores, Caswell Beach, Navassa, Northwest, Sandy Creek, Shallotte, Southport, St. James, Sunset Beach, and Varnamtown.
The county utilities also provides supply to the following municipal systems, so its customers are impacted as well:
- Bald Head Island Utilities
- Holden Beach Utilities
- Oak Island Utilities
- Ocean Isle Beach Utilities
The alert does not apply to customers of Brunswick Regional — H2GO, whose customers should check in with the utility. It also doesn’t affect customers that use private groundwater wells, those using reclaimed waters, such as at St. James, Winding River, Sea Trail, and Sandpiper Bay golf courses, or other golf courses utilizing ponds for irrigation.
A unified application of voluntary water reductions by all systems can mitigate future mandatory water restrictions, according to the county.
Suggestions to reduce water use include:
- Avoid irrigation on Monday; odd-number addresses access it on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday only and even-number addresses on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, preferably running them after nightfall and avoiding peak hours of 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- Do not over water yards (1 inch a week during summer is recommended) and don’t do so during peak hours, 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- Install shut-off devices on automatic sprinkler systems
- Limit lawn watering to that necessary for plant survival
- Don’t water pavement or impervious surfaces
- Use drip irrigation on shrubbery beds and around trees but water to the base minimum
- Use ample mulch around trees, grasses and plants
- Adjust mower height to higher setting to retain moisture
- Limit vehicle wasing
- Plant drought-tolerant shrubbery, grasses and plants
- Use shower instead of bathtub, for no more than 5 minutes
- Repair faulty faucets and toilets
- Don’t leave faucets running while shaving, brushing teeth, washing dishes, etc.
- Limit clothes washer and dishwasher use
- Intsall water-saving devices on shower heads, faucets, toilets, etc.
- Fill or top of swimming pools only from dusk until dawn and cover them to prevent water evaporation
- Use disposable or biodegradable dishes
Residents will be notified when the alert lifts or other measures go into place. Information and updates can be found here.
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