Wise management of our water resources remains a priority.

However long the current drought lasts, North Carolina will continue to face water scarcity on a recurring basis.  In fact, scientists anticipate that as a result of climate change, the Southeastern US – including North Carolina – may experience more frequent droughts, interrupted by more intense downpours when it does rain.  No one doubts that North Carolina’s population will continue to grow, placing greater demands on our existing water resources.

Whatever happens with rain in the short term, our message will stay consistent: our water is a finite, local resource.  North Carolina is currently blessed with enough water that if our communities use it wisely and don’t waste it, we have enough to meet our needs.  That’s good economic as well as environmental policy, given that conservation and efficient use is far more cost-effective than trying to build new reservoirs or capture water from neighboring counties or states.  But, as we continue to grow, our local governments will need to pay increasing to the availability of water as they approve new developments, so we don’t create future water emergencies. 

For the long term, the key managing our water resources sustainably is to adopt a comprehensive water allocation statute – something most states of the East Coast have, but North Carolina doesn’t.  In the meantime, this year, the NC General Assembly can take major strides forward by adopting the policies recommended by the Governor and requiring local governments to consider water availability when approving new development.

Therefore, We are recommending to our leaders to:

1. Require efficient use of water. Increased efficient water use results in existing supplies reaching further, making droughts a less serious threat. Even outside of droughts, efficient water use benefits the economy - businesses and residents can spend less on water, and local governments can spend less on expanding the capacity of water supply and treatment systems. We are urging state leaders to authorize the state Environmental Management Commission (EMC) to set standards for water use efficiency.

2. Link growth decisions to water supplies. No matter how efficiently we use water, we’ll run into problems if we approve more residential and commercial water use than supplies can meet during a drought. Unfortunately, while state law requires water system operators to plan ahead, there is no link in state law between water supply availability and local government decisions to approve new development. Local governments in rapidly growing counties are continually trying to catch up with the needs created by development – for new schools, police and fire stations, and water supplies. We are urging state leaders to require that local governments ensure that water supplies during drought and public infrastructure are adequate to meet the demand that will be created by the new development before they approve new subdivisions.

3. Update our water laws for the 21st century. North Carolina’s water allocation laws are an outdated patchwork. Some parts date from two centuries ago, when the main question was how much water a landowner could withdraw from a river for his personal use – not how much a city can withdraw for its entire population. Other laws are much more recent, but deal with very specific situations, like moving water from one river basin to another. The patchwork is breaking down under the stress of growth, with communities fighting for access to limited water supplies. It is time to update and overhaul North Carolina’s water quantity laws for the 21st century, to make sure that all uses – river health, drinking water supplies, agriculture, industry, and power generation – can co-exist sustainably into our future.

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Many thanks to North Carolina Conservation Network for main content of above article.