Meeker: City's strict water rules should stay

RALEIGH -- Mayor Charles Meeker said today that this week’s rains, while welcome, will not result in the city's altering its water conservation rules anytime soon.

“We’re not going to go back to where we were,” said Meeker, noting that Falls Lake remains at historically low levels for this time of the year. “We’ve got a long way to go.”

Raleigh adopted its most severe water rules on Feb. 15. The so-called "Stage 2" rules ban the use of Raleigh drinking water for pressure-washing and all remaining irrigation. The rules also sharply restrict builders from testing new city water connections -- tests that must occur before homes and businesses can legally be occupied.

The council has not adopted a trigger mechanism for when the rules might be loosened. Both Meeker and City Manager Russell Allen said it’s too soon to tell whether these recent rains signal a change in the region’s weather patterns.

Allen dismissed any talk of repealing stage 2 rules. “I think that’s getting ahead of things,” he said.

Councilman Philip Isley said he would like to give industries affected by the rules some indication of when they might be loosened. “I think we need to have a target,” Isley said. “That if the lake fills up to a certain level we will at least rethink of the prohibitions against the green industry.”

The thunderstorms that swept the region Tuesday night have added more than a month to Raleigh’s water supply in Falls Lake.

The city’s water supply had risen to 164 days as of Thursday. Before the storms arrived Raleigh’s water supply stood at 124 days, assuming consumption remains constant and no additional rain occurred.

Falls Lake, which supplies drinking water to Raleigh and six Wake County towns, has risen more than two feet as a result of the storms.

Even though it appears the city will have adequate water this summer, Meeker said, the focus should continue to be on conserving and managing that water wisely.

David.Bracken@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-4548 (919) 829-4548