BRUNSWICK COUNTY — A stage 1 water conservation alert is effective in Brunswick County as of Thursday afternoon. It will affect customers of public water systems across all of Brunswick.
According to a release, “Demand for water has exceeded 80% of the available production and distribution capacity.”
Water use increases this time of year in the region upon the approach of Independence Day and people flock to the coast for beach vacations.
Brunswick County Public Utilities customers are asked to begin voluntary adjustments to their water habits. Irrigation is the most demanding. The county suggests no one irrigate on Monday, while people who live at even-number addresses water gardens and lawns on Sunday, Wednesday and Friday, and those with odd-number addresses do so on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
The request also applies to other utilities that receive water from Brunswick County Public Utilities: Bald Head Island, Brunswick Regional – H2GO (Belville), Holden Beach, Leland, Oak Island, Ocean Isle Beach, Shallotte, and Southport.
The county suggests water use reduction in other areas as follows:
- Defer all non-essential water use (lawn irrigation) to outside the peak demand hours of 5 a.m. to 11 a.m., preferably after nightfall.
- Do not overwater your yard. One inch of water per week in the summer will keep most types of grass healthy. To determine how long you need to run your sprinkler to provide 1-inch of water, place straight edged cans at different distances from your sprinkler and time how long it takes to fill an average of 1-inch of water in each can. Water occasionally but deeply to encourage deeper rooting that makes grass more drought/heat tolerant.
- Install rain shut-off devices on automatic sprinkler systems.
- Do not water pavement and impervious surfaces.
- Limit lawn watering to that necessary for plant survival. Water lawns outside of the peak demand hours of 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.; preferably after nightfall.
- Water shrubbery the minimum required. Water shrubbery outside of the peak demand hours of 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. Use drip irrigation systems in shrubbery beds and around trees to prevent water loss through evaporation.
- Use ample mulch around trees and shrubs to retain moisture.
- Plant drought-tolerant grasses, trees, and plants.
- Adjust mower height to a higher setting to retain moisture.
- Limit the use of clothes washers and dishwashers and when used, operate fully loaded. Operate dishwashers outside of the peak demand hours of 5 a.m. to 11 a.m., preferably after nightfall.
- Limit vehicle washing to a minimum. Use commercial car washes that recycle water.
- Use shower for bathing rather than bathtub and limit shower to no more than five minutes.
- Inspect and repair all faulty and defective parts of faucets and toilets. Pay attention to dripping sounds.
- Do not leave faucets running while shaving, brushing teeth, rinsing, or preparing food.
- Do not wash down outside areas such as sidewalks, driveways, patios, etc.
- Install water-saving showerheads and other water conservation devices.
- Install water-saving devices in toilets such as early closing flappers.
- Limit hours of water-cooled air conditioners.
- Keep drinking water in a container in the refrigerator instead of running water from a faucet until it is cool.
- Fill or top off swimming pools only from dusk until dawn.
- Cover pool and spas when not in use to prevent evaporation.
- Use disposable and biodegradable dishes where possible.
Brunswick County is currently undergoing capacity improvements to its Northwest Water Treatment Plant. It will help “expand capacity to support ongoing growth,” according to a release. It’s also installing a reverse osmosis treatment system to help filtration of PFAS.
The upgrades are 45% complete. When finished, it will increase capacity from 24 million gallons per day (MGD) to 45 MGD and provide low-pressure RO treatment no less than 36 MGD.
“Brunswick County is also constructing the Shallotte 24-inch water transmission water main, which will provide additional capacity and redundancy for water access to the southern side of the county,” the release noted. It’s expected to be in service within the next few weeks.
The conservation alert does not affect private groundwater wells or those using highly treated reclaimed wastewater. (St. James, Winding River, Sea Trail, and Sandpiper Bay golf courses use reclaimed water. Other golf courses use wells and ponds for irrigation.)
Individuals will be notified if further measures are needed.
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