BOLVIA, N.C. (WECT) – Brunswick County has declared a Stage 1 Water Conservation Alert effective immediately, asking all customers of public water systems in the county to use their water wisely.
Demand for water has reportedly exceeded 80% of the available production and distribution capacity, and are only expected to increase.
The following communities are affected because these utilities receive their water from Brunswick County Public Utilities:
- Boiling Spring Lakes
- Bolivia
- Calabash
- Carolina Shores
- Caswell Beach
- Navassa, Northwest
- Sandy Creek
- St. James
- Sunset Beach
- Varnamtown
- Bald Head Island
- Belville
- Holden Beach
- Leland
- Oak Island
- Ocean Isle Beach
- Shallotte
- Southport
This Alert does not affect the use of private groundwater wells or those using highly treated reclaimed wastewater.
There is no need to boil water unless you receive a low-pressure advisory notice for your area due to other conditions in the water distribution system.
Brunswick County has asked customers to reduce water usage in the following ways:
- Do not use non-essential water use, such as watering the lawn, watering shrubberies, dishwashers, clothes washers and dishwashers around the peak demand hours of 5 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- Use only one inch of water per week to water the yard, as that is the estimated time to keep most types of grass healthy. You can determine how long you need to run your sprinkler by placing 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. Watering occasionally but deeply will encourage deeper rooting, causing your grass to become more tolerant of heat or drought.
- Install rain shut-off devices on automatic sprinkler systems.
- Do not water pavement and impervious surfaces.
- Limit lawn watering to plant survival.
- 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.
- Limit vehicle washing to a minimum. Use commercial car washes that recycle water.
- 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, or patios.
- 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 working to expand ongoing growth capacity and installing a reverse osmosis treatment system in the main Northwest Water Treatment Plant, which is around 45% complete as of June 2022. The project will expand the conventional treatment facility from 24 million gallons per day to 45 million gallons per day, and capacity of the reverse osmosis treatment to 36 million gallons per day.
In addition, Brunswick County is constructing the Shallotte 24-inch water transmission water main to provide additional capacity and redundancy for water access in the southern side of the county. The project will help avoid potential shutdowns in the event of water outages or potential conservation needs, and will be in service for the next several weeks.
Residents will be notified if any other conservation measures are needed and when restrictions are no longer required.
Anyone who ahas questions should contact their water service provider directly or Brunswick County Public Utilities at 910-253-2657 or email them here.
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