BRUNSWICK COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) – Brunswick County has moved to a Stage 2 mandatory water-conservation alert as extreme drought conditions worsen ahead of the Fourth of July holiday.
Stage 2 of the mandatory water-conservation alert calls for limiting irrigation to overnight hours and allows enforcement through warnings, fees and possible service shutoffs.
The county is now under an Extreme Drought (D3) classification from the North Carolina Drought Management Council, prompting tighter conservation measures focused on cutting nonessential outdoor water use, officials said.
Under Stage 2 rules, customers can run irrigation systems only between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. and must follow an address-based schedule. All addresses are prohibited from irrigating on Mondays. Properties with odd-numbered addresses and non-addressed facilities can irrigate Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, while even-numbered addresses can irrigate Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
The alert applies to customers of Brunswick County Public Utilities and to customers of Bald Head Island, Holden Beach, Oak Island and Ocean Isle Beach that receive their water from the county system.
The restrictions do not apply to customers of Brunswick Regional H2GO, nor do they affect irrigation using private groundwater wells or reclaimed water, according to the county.
County officials said enforcement may include warnings, fees and possible discontinuation of water service. Standard noncompliance may bring fees up to $300 and disconnection, while habitual or gross violations may result in penalties up to $5,000 and disconnection.
Residents who have questions should contact their water service provider directly or Brunswick County Public Utilities at 910.253.2657 or utilityadmin@brunswickcountync.gov.
Information and any updates can be found here.
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