This discussion took place at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 5, 2006, and is now closed.

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Moderator: Welcome, Sarah. So what's the latest status of the area's water supplies?

SLH: Falls Lake is about a foot below normal. So is Jordan Lake. But what is troubling officials is that the water flowing into the lakes from streams and creeks are at or near historic lows. And the weather forecast is predicting a dry spring.

Moderator: Jenn T. writes: "I think it should be easy to see what homeowners are breaking the watering rules. Just drive around town and the people with the "green grass" are up to something! Are you aware of any "patrolling" going on in the Knightdale area?"

SLH: That's a good question. Last fall, the city added inspectors to patrol the area and be on the lookout for violations. They are patroling all the areas where the city provides water - Raleigh, Wake Forest, Wendell, Zebulon, Knightdale, Garner and Rolesville. So far, the city has issued about 225 citations - $200 fines - for violations. Of course - there's only so many inspectors and millions of blades of grass out there.

Moderator: What restrictions are in place right now?

SLH: The restrictions limit irrigation to two days a week, ban car washing at home and only allow professionals to use power washers. Restaurants aren't supposed to serve water unless requested. And there is a ban on filling swimming pools if they were drained for a repair. For specific restrictions, readers can go to the About the Drought blog. They are posted on there. The restrictions are for all Raleigh water customers - Raleigh, Wake Forest, Garner, Rolesville, Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon.

Moderator: Has the rain we've recently received had any effect?

SLH: No. It hasn't had much of an effect at all. The Triangle area is about six inches below normal for the year.

Moderator: What are the predictions? Is there any relief in sight or should we expect to deal with this to some degree or another throughout the summer?

SLH: The weather predictions say that rainfall will be below normal for the next several months. Forecasters said this week that the region needed to prepare for the worst. They expect we'll be dealing with this all summer.

Moderator: If the situation worsens, what other restrictions could be imposed?

SLH: The next stage of water restrictions in Raleigh prohibit nearly all irrigation, no pools could be filled with water, washing vehicles anywhere would be banned. And other cities in the Triangle - Durham, for instance - may begin to restrict water use as well.

Moderator: How close are other municipalities in our area to enacting similar restrictions?

SLH: They all told me that they are monitoring the situation. In Cary, Chapel Hill and Carrboro, water customers already follow year-round limits on irrigation.

Moderator: Do the cities have any other options than simply enacting restrictions and waiting for the reservoirs to fill?

SLH: If restrictions aren't enough and the situation worsens, the city has some options. There's a storage area in Falls Lake that the city could draw water from. Officials also have talked about using the water from other lakes in the city - Lake Johnson, for instance. That water would be released down the Neuse River. Then the city could possibly use more water for drinking from Falls Lake. Those are things officials have talked about if restrictions aren't enough.

Moderator: Jenn T. responds: "Can you define, "the worst"? How bad can it get? With the end no where in sight, I guess we should all look forward to the rain from the Hurricane season!"

SLH: Not sure I can define worst. And, on the bright side, forecasters warn that longterm forecasts aren't the most reliable. It's not an exact science. So they could always be wrong. But, at this point, hurricane season could be our best bet for getting out of this.

Moderator: We are out of time for today. Sarah, thanks for taking these questions.