Fayetteville Lifts Ban on Residential Car Washing
Outdoor Watering Schedules Remain at Two Days a Week

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March 20, 2008

Beginning Friday, March 21, the ban on outdoor residential water use will be lifted allowing Fayetteville Public Works Commission customers to wash cars and building exteriors.
Outdoor watering using automatic irrigation continues to be allowed two days a week and filling  pools has been allowed since the end of February.

Customers are reminded of the two day a week schedule for using automatic/unattended sprinklers:  Even street address may use sprinkler systems on Wednesday and Saturday. Customers at odd addresses may water on Thursday and Sunday.      Hand watering is allowed on any day.  Customers are encouraged to always use a spray nozzle when hand watering and with other outdoor watering activities.
           
Stage II restrictions, which reduced the number of watering days and restricted residential car washing, had been in place since October as the levels at Jordan Lake, which feeds the Cape Fear River, PWC’s primary source of water, fell drastically below normal.  As of Thursday, Jordan Lake was above normal after recent rains. 

Since restrictions began, PWC customers steadily reduced their daily usage and have averaged using 20 million gallon a day (MGD) during the last two months. 

“We commend our customers on their conservation efforts,” said Steve Blanchard, PWC CEO/General Manager.    “Our water demand has shown that customers have followed the required conservation measures and the amount of water we are treating for customer use is the same as the amount of wastewater we are treating and returning to the river.

“While the Jordan Lake levels have returned to normal, we feel some restrictions can be lifted as long as customers continue to use water wisely.  We do not feel we have seen the last of drought conditions and want customers to realize restrictions may be tightened again as the summer’s dry weather returns.” 

PWC encourages customers to continue their conservation efforts and limit outdoor watering to only when needed.  As spring arrives, customers are urged to implement water wise landscaping practices.  Customers should also look at long-term solutions to reducing their water use such as installing water efficient appliances and repairing or retrofitting plumbing that reduces water use.

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