One year ago, as North Carolina slid into the worst drought in the state's recorded history, 21 counties were suffering from severe or extreme drought.

Now a number of community and elected leaders around the state are breathing sighs of relief for having weathered the crisis. Water restrictions have been lifted in many cities. Activities such as car washing and lawn irrigation are being seen again in front yards around the state.

However, heading into summer 2008 we should be careful not to jump the gun. North Carolina is actually in worse shape now than it was a year ago.

Today, substantial parts of 39 counties are suffering from severe or extreme drought. Although reservoirs may be full or nearly so, the water table is way down.

In other words, we've got money in our checking account but nothing in savings. With the typical North Carolina summer forecast of high temperatures and minimal rain, overdraft can't be far behind.

Without more enlightened stewardship of our water resources, North Carolina can expect another drought -- or even a resurgence of this one -- to tip some communities over the edge.

The solution lies in drought relief legislation that will help communities across the state manage water resources consistently and effectively. Since last year, policy experts have been developing recommendations for such long-term improvements to state water policies. Next year a new governor and new legislature will have a chance to consider those ideas. These policies should maintain statewide water resources for the benefit of the public and establish mandatory conservation and efficient water use.

But for now, North Carolina should act promptly to blunt the ongoing and immediate threat of drought. Governor Easley and legislative leaders have proposed a package of improvements, found in House Bill 2499, to drought management policies. This includes smart steps to protect the state against short-term water shortages.

Specifically, the package would upgrade the state's drought response, require those that withdraw more than 100,000 gallons a day to notify the state and mandate better planning by local and state governments in advance of drought.

The package should also include common sense measures to require local governments to verify that available water supplies are sufficient to meet expanded demands before approving new development. In addition, it should promote the capture of rainwater, progressive pricing structures and other strategies that encourage improved efficiency and conservation by properly valuing water.

In short, before we breathe a collective sigh of relief that the drought is over and return to normal, we need to re-evaluate what normal is. The old "normal" is to base water laws on the idea that water is an unlimited and inexhaustible resource. But if 2007 taught us anything, the biggest lesson was that we must protect and conserve to maintain our water resources.

North Carolina's population is growing as never before, and the demand on resources has never been greater. The new normal must recognize that water resources -- the life blood of our economy, our health and human society -- must be protected and managed by the state on behalf of all North Carolinians.

And the state should do this in a way that provides consistency, so cities working hard to conserve aren't undermined by neighbors who aren't. The state also must ensure that new policies give farmers and other economic engines the resources they need to protect water resources for generations.

The governor's drought response proposal is a reasonable first step in that direction. Anything less will leave North Carolinians thirsting for more.

(Amy Pickle is an attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center. Dave McNaught, a senior policy analyst with Environmental Defense Fund, and Grady McCallie, policy director with the N.C. Conservation Network, assisted with this article.)

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