Last week, the data-aggregating site Swivel (which we’ve discussed before) posted a chart showing the recent and dramatic drop in North Carolina’s water demand. The reduction occurred after Governor Mike Easley, in the face of a state-wide drought, issued a plea to North Carolina residents in mid-October, asking them to cut their water consumption in half by Halloween. He then asked public water systems to record the amount of water used daily in their regions, and compare them to average use for the same periods in August. On November 8, Easley announced the results of the experiment in a press release, which stated that:
…water utilities representing 72 percent of the 6.8 million customers served by public water systems responded to his call to provide information on water use. Early indications, based on an analysis of information from the 25 largest systems in the state, show an average drop in daily water use of nearly 30 percent from the month of August compared to the last week of October.
It’s true that the data may have been skewed somewhat by timing; the demand for water during hot North Carolina summers may automatically drop off as the weather cools and residents close their swimming pools, etc. Still, some regions saw dramatic declines, including Union County, which reported a nearly 48 percent decrease in water use between August and late October. For a state with a population of almost nine million, these results are impressive enough to warrant attention, and could be an indicator of an even more impressive trend: that people are willing, under the right circumstances, to act decisively and make sacrifices on behalf of the public good.
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. You can also watch it on 
Way to go NC!
This is great news and a fine example of how the general public can embrace conservation by simply making some adjustments to their lifestyle. A smart next step would be to either mandate or provide incentives to new construction builds with dual-flush toilets and tankless water heaters.
Way to go NC!
This is great news and a fine example of how the general public can embrace conservation by simply making some adjustments to their lifestyle. A smart next step would be to either mandate or provide incentives to new construction builds with dual-flush toilets and tankless water heaters.
While not a native I’ve lived in NC for 17 years, and am myself amazed at the numbers. I think the main reason so many of us took this to heart was hearing the plea not only from our Governor but also local governments and water companies. Southerners don’t listen to outsiders but will listen to one of their own.
The parts that shocked me, though, was learning that it’s illegal (in some parts of the state anyway) to use gray water. I thought re-using dishwater and bathwater for flower beds, etc, was supposed to a good conservation technique. Is it illegal anywhere else? Is it that dangerous?
While not a native I’ve lived in NC for 17 years, and am myself amazed at the numbers. I think the main reason so many of us took this to heart was hearing the plea not only from our Governor but also local governments and water companies. Southerners don’t listen to outsiders but will listen to one of their own.
The parts that shocked me, though, was learning that it’s illegal (in some parts of the state anyway) to use gray water. I thought re-using dishwater and bathwater for flower beds, etc, was supposed to a good conservation technique. Is it illegal anywhere else? Is it that dangerous?
Then you have this:
“While the Board is aware of the inconvenience presented by the heat and water restrictions, we believe that having neatly landscaped lawns of grass is of the utmost importance to our community,” said a letter sent to the homeowners in August.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/695176.html
Then you have this:
“While the Board is aware of the inconvenience presented by the heat and water restrictions, we believe that having neatly landscaped lawns of grass is of the utmost importance to our community,” said a letter sent to the homeowners in August.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/695176.html
I thought I’d better give a like for clarification.
http://www.newsobserver.com/weather/drought/story/757968.html
I thought I’d better give a like for clarification.
http://www.newsobserver.com/weather/drought/story/757968.html