Iredell Water asking residents to limit water use as county remains in moderate drought

IREDELL COUNTY, N.C. ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) — The NC Department of Environmental Quality has designated Iredell County as an area of moderate drought.

The lack of significant rainfall in Iredell Water’s service area in over six weeks, combined with temperatures in the 90s, has led to very dry conditions in the area, county officials said.

Because of these conditions, along with near-record water usage, Iredell Water announced that they must move into a ‘Stage 1 voluntary water shortage condition’ that encourages customers to reduce non-essential uses of water starting on Wednesday, July 3.

“When areas are found to be in moderate drought, water providers are requested to inform their customers about the situation and ask them to voluntarily restrict their use of water to protect the water supply, in case the drought conditions do not ease,” Iredell Water said Wednesday.

Iredell Water is asking our customers to cut water use by taking the following steps:

• Repair all known leaks
• Limit at-home car washing to a minimum
• Limit lawn and garden watering to that which is necessary for plants to survive
• Do not wash down outside areas such as sidewalks, patios, parking lots, service bays or aprons, etc
• Do not leave faucets running while shaving or rinsing dishes
• Water shrubbery to the minimum required, reusing household water when possible
• Limit the use of clothes washers and dishwashers and when used, operate when fully loaded
• Use of showers for bathing, rather than bathtub, and limit showers to no more than four (4) minutes
• Limit flushing of toilets. Think “If it’s yellow, be mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down”
• Use of disposable and biodegradable dishes, if possible
• Using flow-restrictive and water-saving devices
• Limit hours of operation of water-cooled air conditioners
• Use only hoses with spring-activated nozzles when watering lawns and gardens

This is a Developing Story . Check back for updates

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.