Falls Lake less dry than last year

Falls Lake isn't full, but it's 11 inches higher than it was at this time last year, city officials said today.

That comes as good news for Raleigh's main water source just one week after northern Wake, Durham, Granville and Orange counties were classified as being in a severe drought. The lake, which is four inches below its normal level, has 259 days of water assuming no rain through St. Patrick's Day 2009.

The city public utility department's announcement also comes on the heels of a significant rainstorm this weekend that boosted June's rainfall totals to 4.08 inches for the month, or 0.66 inches above normal. That lowered the yearlong deficit to just 0.46 inches below normal.

Meanwhile, the National Weather Service is predicting an even chance of rain continuing at normal levels through September, along with significant rainfall Sunday and Monday.

To conserve Falls Lake's remaining capacity, Raleigh city council approved a return to revised Stage 1 drought restrictions May 21. That move limits homeowners with automatic sprinklers to twice-weekly irrigation, with odd numbered addresses allowed to water between midnight and 10:00 a.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays and even numbered addresses on Wednesdays and Sundays.

Those using garden hoses may only do so on assigned days between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m., while residential uses like car washing and power washing are only permitted on Saturdays and Sundays. Hand watering is permitted at all times.

The conservation measures impact only city of Raleigh water customers, including Garner, Rolesville, Wake Forest, Knightdale, Wendell and Zebulon.

Normally, Stage 1 restrictions allow for just one day of irrigation per week. But without twice-weekly watering, City Manager J. Russell Allen said, shrubs and lawns will die given the hot weather. Any further restrictions will require careful study by the county, Allen said.

The city's average water consumption during the 41 days since revised Stage 1 restrictions were introduced was 51.7 million gallons per day, which is 25 percent higher than the city's average Stage 1 pumpage. But four consecutive days of 100-degree heat during that time probably explains the increase, officials say.

Since Stage 1 measures were reintroduced on April 7, 85 watering citations have been issued at $200 per violation.