Falls Lake is full, and Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker says the city will relax water restrictions this morning. The city is returning to Stage 1 restrictions, a step back from the Stage 2 restrictions imposed in February that banned most outdoor irrigation and most outdoor washing.

"We're all very pleased," Meeker said Sunday evening. "And I want to say a word of thanks to everyone who's worked so hard on overcoming this drought."

Meeker said year-round water conservation would become the norm in Raleigh and other areas on city pipes.

The Stage 1 restrictions will remain until permanent rules are approved, Meeker said. He said those rules will likely involve limited outdoor watering, tiered water rates and low-flow devices, and will be similar to Stage 1 restrictions.

Pressure washing, car washing and outdoor watering, which had all been prohibited or sharply restricted under the most recent restrictions, will now be allowed.

Stage 1 restrictions allow car washing and home pressure washing on Saturdays and Sundays. Pressure-washing businesses, nurseries and greenhouses are essentially unrestricted, said City Manager Russell Allen.

Homeowners will also be able to water outside one day a week on an even-odd address system with irrigation systems and hose-end sprinklers, and twice a week with a hand-held hose.

Under Stage 2 restrictions, car washes had to be approved by the city if they wanted to keep suds flowing. Stage 2 also limited the water hookup testing that builders must perform before homes and businesses can be occupied.

Falls Lake, the city's water source, filled up late last week and was about 8 inches above full Sunday night. At one point in the drought, the lake was less than half full.

The area received 5.5 inches of rain in March, more than an inch above normal, and Holly Springs, Cary and Durham have all recently eased their restrictions.

Last week Durham city officials ended a ban on outdoor irrigation, allowing plant watering twice a week.

The Orange Water and Sewer Authority, which serves the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area, is still in Stage 3 water restrictions. Levels in OWASA reservoirs hit 68 percent Sunday morning, director Ed Kerwin said. The staff has already recommended its board go from Stage 3 to Stage 2, and may even recommend a return to Stage 1 because lakes will likely continue to rise, Kerwin said.

One Wake County business owner who was affected by the more severe restrictions said he is happy to hear that Raleigh is relaxing the limits.

"It'll help me and the rest of my industry get back to work," said William Page, who owns Off Duty Fireman Pressure Washing. Page, who has worked as a full-time firefighter but is now a volunteer, said his business fell 40 percent under the tougher restrictions.

"Maybe the phone will start ringing," he said.