North Carolina Gov. Easley Says Citizens Should Conserve Despite Forecast Of Rain

Drought Map Shows Drought Spreading and Getting Worse Throughout November

11/23/2007 -- Raleigh - North Carolina Governor Mike Easley today called on residents across the state to continue conserving water in spite of the forecast for rain this weekend. The federal drought map released Thursday shows exceptional drought has returned to more than half of the state due to the lack of rain since October.

“We need to do two things. First, we need to conserve aggressively between now and the new year, and second, we have to have some rain,” said Easley. “We cannot make the rain happen, so we have to work really hard on conserving.”

This week's federal drought map shows 56 counties, up from 25 counties last week, are suffering an exceptional drought, the worst level of the four-category system. Exceptional drought now extends from the border with Tennessee across the mountains, foothills and Piedmont all the way to Nash County. The state’s largest population centers, including Asheville, the Charlotte metro area, the Triangle and parts of the Triad are in the worst stage of drought. The remainder of North Carolina faces either extreme, severe or moderate drought, with two coastal counties (Dare and Tyrrell) in the less serious moderate stage.

Meanwhile, 5.36 million North Carolinians, or 79 percent of the people in water systems tracked by the state, are subject to water use restrictions. In addition to encouraging conservation, water systems are seeking alternative sources of water or trying to use less of their available supplies. For example, the City of Raleigh is now pumping water from Lake Benson into the Neuse River to extend the supply in the Falls Lake reservoir, where the water level fell to a record low this week.

Dry conditions across the state are also fueling above average wildfire activity. North Carolina has seen 34,766 acres burned due to wildfires; the most acreage burned in any year since the mid-1980s. A ban on open burning that was imposed Oct. 15 due to the dry conditions and dwindling water supplies remains in effect.

The governor continues to ask all North Carolina citizens, including those on well water, to eliminate outdoor water use such as irrigation, car washing or hosing paved surfaces. A complete list of drought busting tips for residential, government and industry use is available on the state's water conservation website: http://www.p2pays.org/water/. For the latest information on the drought affecting North Carolina, please visit www.ncdrought.org.

Source: North Carolina Governor