BRUNSWICK COUNTY — Anticipating high demand over Memorial Day weekend, Brunswick County is asking all of its water customers — especially those living in densely developed communities — to “use water wisely.”
The county similarly issued a use water wisely notice at the end of Memorial Day weekend in 2019, just before the beginning of its 94-day stage-one water conservation alert, a voluntary request to cease nonessential water use. Conservation was necessary due to capacity constraints and a regional drought that increased demand on the system.
Then, residents reported low water pressure in the Brunswick Forest community before the holiday weekend, with hoses barely trickling and showering becoming difficult.
Demand in June 2019 averaged at 92%. County records show demand is highest on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays between 5 a.m. and 9 a.m. — around the time many people take showers and water their lawns.
Last year, the region avoided conservation notice alerts because pandemic-related restrictions reduced the typical seasonal population boom. A system expansion is underway and will be operational by June 2022, according to the county spokesperson.
“Densely developed communities experience localized low pressures due to everyone’s irrigation system running at the same time,” a county spokesperson stated in its Monday evening notice. “Extremely high demands in such a short period of time drains water tanks and reservoirs putting the system in a state of recovery to replenish and refill those tanks. This results in lower-than-average pressure throughout the system for a good portion of the day.”
The county is asking customers to adhere to the following alternating irrigation schedule ahead of the holiday weekend:
- No irrigation on Mondays
- Odd address numbers: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
- Even address numbers: Wednesday, Friday, Sunday
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