
BRUNSWICK COUNTY — The county’s water utility authority extended current irrigation and water usage restrictions to tackle rising water consumption amid ongoing drought and hot weather.
Wednesday, Brunswick Regional Water & Sewer H2GO’s board of commissioners extended a conservation alert first implemented July 1. It’s what H2GO defines as stage 2 — “severe water shortage” — and prohibits daily and daytime irrigation.
“Irrigation peak demand months typically continue through August and therefore it would be premature at this time to end or roll-back the current water conservation stage,” Executive Director Bob Walker told Port City Daily Thursday.
Customers are limited to irrigating twice a week between midnight and 8 a.m., or 8 p.m. and midnight. Properties with even-numbered addresses can irrigate on Wednesdays and Sundays, while odd-numbered addresses can do so on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
They’re also asked to avoid washing personal vehicles at their residences, filling pools and fountains, and engaging in street washing activities. The stage 2 alert also suggests the installation of rain and soil moisture sensors on irrigation systems and only using irrigation to supplement weekly to conserve water.
Customers are subject to civil penalties, like fines, for not following regulations. Fines start at $250.
At Wednesday’s H2GO commissioner meeting, no additional restrictions were added.
Twelve days before the stage 2 alert, H2GO had more rigorous restrictions in place — for “exceptional water shortage.” This stage 4 warning is considered an emergency state, responding to a sudden increase in customer irrigation that strained water capacity and jeopardized the integrity of water supply wells.
“We were looking for some relief,” Walker said.
On June 12, the rolling seven-day average of water usage was 4.744 million gallons per day. By June 19, the average increased to 5.57 million gallons per day, prompting the implementation of stage 4 restrictions.
Under the stage 4 alert, all irrigation and excessive water use were prohibited, even suggesting restaurants use disposable utensils and plates to further limit water consumption.
“When it got real hot, and we were irrigating a lot, we had no other choice but to go to stage four,” commissioner Ronnie Jenkins told Port City Daily on Thursday.
The stage 4 restrictions were lowered after water usage dropped by 48%, to 3.39 million gallons per day by June 27.
“I’m just happy that our citizens and our customers actually followed the advice that we gave out, especially when we had to go through phase four,” Jenkins said.
Walker expressed gratitude for H2GO customers who adhered to the restrictions.
According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, 40% of the county is in an abnormally high drought state, while over half is in a moderate drought state.
According to the Department of Environmental Quality, minimal rainfall combined with hot and dry conditions has led to drought across the state. Data from the Southeast Regional Climate Center shows some weather stations have recorded their driest 30 days on record. The National Weather Service reported Brunswick County typically receives an average of 5 inches of rainfall in June. However, this June, the county only received 2.48 inches of rain.
Walker said although seasonal conditions related to heat and drought have unchanged, recent rainfall has provided the county with some relief.
Jenkins agreed, remaining optimistic that recent rainfall may warrant the board to further lessen the restrictions in the future; however, he said still has concerns about August.
“That’s another hot month,” he said, emphasizing an increase in heat usually means an increase in water usage. “You always want to look ahead to eliminate problems before they occur.”
The board intends to redress the state of the restrictions, depending on water capacity and drought levels, at its August 21 meeting.
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