Drought Management Group will meet to discuss elevating urgency level

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Parts of Mecklenburg County are under extreme and exceptional drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. The group responsible for monitoring drought levels meets on the 1st on the 16th to decide whether to elevate to the next stage which would include mandatory restrictions.

The Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group under Duke Energy sets the stages of drought protocols. As of Thursday April 30th, most of the WCCB viewing area is Level One which includes voluntary water restrictions with a goal of cutting consumption by 3 to 5%

At Level Two, there are mandatory restrictions for watering lawns, power washing, filling pools and washing cars at home. The goal is to reduce consumption up to 10%.

In Statesville, the city will start fining people $200 for the first violation of water restrictions starting May 4th.

Some residents say they hope people will voluntarily conserve so officials won’t implement fines in more municipalities across the area.

The Drought Management Advisory Group will use three factors to decide whether to escalate the drought protocol: current water levels in the basin, stream inflows, and the U.S. Drought Monitor Index.