Drought update: Hold your water

So the weather forecast for December includes predictions of showers, and the past few weeks have seen some rainfall. But the appearance of precipitation in the area, however welcome, doesn’t mean the drought is over.

“We got very little [rain],” says Ron Kerns, operations manager for Asheville’s Water Department. “We got less than half an inch, to tell you the truth.”

The city of Asheville remains in voluntary water-conservation status, a measure that Kerns says has had a noticeable effect on the demand from the North Fork and Mills River water plants. “We’re really hoping we don’t need to go into mandatory conservation,” he adds. If such a measure is implemented, Asheville water customers would have to put the kibosh on activities like watering lawns and washing cars, activities that Kerns notes typically drop in winter months anyway.

Meanwhile, a statewide burn ban issued by the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources remains in place. A reminder from Asheville Fire and Rescue that went out on Dec. 4 warns of penalties for not only open burns, but also for the use of candle luminaries—a holiday tradition for many.

Kerns says the drought situation is the region’s worst since 1998, and shows little chance of letting up soon.

“It looks like this is going to be a dry winter,” he notes. “This is going to be going on for awhile.”

The city maintains an ongoing report on its water-restriction measures on its Web site—www.asheville.gov—along with an explanation of the computer-modeling methods used to determine conservation policy and what those measures mean for water customers.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.