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THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS ® Drought Management in North
Carolina
According to the National Drought Mitigation Center, North
Carolina is one of the many states still operating in the drought response
paradigm. http://www.drought.unl.edu/mitigate/status.htm
However, North Carolina has taken some important steps
toward facilitating and encouraging drought preparedness among its communities.
Drought Monitoring
The North Carolina Drought
Management Advisory Council http://www.ncdrought.org/about.php
has been charged by the N.C. General Assembly with issuing drought advisories
based on technical data to address varying conditions throughout the state.
This service enables local water systems to monitor drought conditions and
take appropriate actions.
Water Shortage Plans
The General Assembly has passed legislation requiring most water systems to prepare a water shortage response plan “to minimize harmful impacts of drought and water supply emergencies on public health and safety, environmental quality, and the economy.” The water shortage plans are to be part of systems’ local water supply plans submitted to the N.C. Division of Water Resources at least every five years. http://www.ncwater.org/Water_Supply_Planning/Local_Water_Supply_Plan/
The plans are required (among other things) to describe
* tiered levels of response actions to be taken to reduce
water use based on the severity of water shortage conditions,
* the conditions that will trigger movement from one tier to
the next, and
* how compliance with water reduction measures will be
enforced.
Water systems are also required to monitor drought
advisories and when an advisory is issued for their area,
* implement their water shortage response plan,
* monitor and document water supply conditions,
* educate customers on conservation and how to prepare for
potential drought conditions,
* monitor system operations for efficient use of water,
* participate in regional coordination of water resources
management, and
* use reclaimed water if possible.
Significant Shortcomings
While North Carolina’s
requirements for water supply and water shortage response plans encourage water
systems to plan for drought they do not necessarily encourage drought
preparedness. There is no explicit requirement for vulnerability assessments
that could identify system operation, social, or economic factors that put
systems at risk.
In addition, there is no requirement
for pre-drought mitigation. While water systems’ local water supply
plans are required to report current and future water conservation and water
reuse programs, there are no requirements for water efficiency or conservation
except during droughts. In 2002, the General Assembly required the Department
of Environment and Natural Resources to evaluate water conservation measures being
implemented in the state and to identify incentives and voluntary programs
that can help foster water conservation and water reuse. A Report on
Water Conservation and Water Use Efficiency (http://www.ncwater.org/Reports_and_Publications/hb1215/HB1215_Sec5_Report.pdf
including recommendations, was
published in 2004. However, water systems
are free to ignore the recommendations, and most do, contributing to their
drought vulnerability.
Questions? Email LWVWake@bellsouth.net
or call (919) 783-5995.
This site was last revised 3/17/2008.