Govenor Easley: Water Use Reduction is A Start

As North Carolina struggles with what's now the worst drought in its recorded history, conservation measures taken across the state are not yet up to the standard demanded by Gov. Mike Easley. Two weeks ago, the Governor asked residents to try to cut their water use by as much as 50 percent by Halloween. Water use in the state's 25 largest systems is down nearly 30 percent between August and the end of October - a good start, but not good enough, Easley said.
"My goal was lofty, but all citizens must cut water use as much as they can," he said. "Given the situation nearly all of North Carolina faces, we cannot afford to do any less." Data from the National Weather Service support Easley. By the end of October, the state was experiencing the worst drought conditions since 1895, when data on drought were first recorded.
Easley had asked each of the state's public water systems record the amount of water used daily and report weekly totals to his office. Water utilities representing 72 percent of the 6.8 million customers served by public water systems responded, Easley said.