Brunswick County adopts four-stage water-emergency regime
Brunswick County Utilities, North Carolina · Meeting date: November 2, 2026 · Published: November 3, 2026
The new framework ranges from a conservation alert to a water-shortage danger declaration, with restrictions tied to treatment capacity, distribution pressure, raw-water conditions and Lower Cape Fear Water and Sewer Authority emergency stages. The board also approved a revised bulk-water hydrant policy.
Key points
- The plan allows the Public Utilities director, or an authorised representative, to declare a water emergency and adjust restrictions between four stages.
- Stage 4 can be triggered when daily demand exceeds 100% of treatment capacity, when supply or distribution conditions threaten essential uses, or when LCFWSA declares its most restrictive raw-water emergency stage.
- Mandatory restrictions can progress to bans on outdoor irrigation, vehicle washing, pool filling, power washing and dust control, with industrial customers required to cut water use by at least 20% at Stage 4.
- Maximum non-compliance penalties rise from warnings at Stage 1 to $200, $500 and $1,000 for first, second and third offences at Stage 4, with disconnection possible.
- Wholesale customers must enforce restrictions no less stringent than the county plan and reduce use by at least 10% at Stage 2 and 20% at Stages 3 and 4.
Full report
Brunswick County commissioners have approved an updated Water Shortage Response Plan and Water Emergency Ordinance that gives the utility a graduated set of restrictions for drought, raw-water disruptions and failures in the county’s own potable-water system.
The plan authorises the Public Utilities director, or an authorised representative, to declare an emergency and move between four response stages. The County Manager must notify commissioners as soon as possible after a declaration; emergencies lasting more than 14 days may be presented at the next regular board meeting.
The triggers extend beyond drought. They include reduced availability of raw water from the Cape Fear River, a disruption in the Lower Cape Fear Water and Sewer Authority raw-water system, mechanical failures and water-main breaks. The director may also limit an emergency to a particular section of the network when the issue is localised.
At Stage 1, a water conservation alert may be declared when weekly average demand exceeds 80% of plant production capacity, when transmission capacity causes major pressure reductions, or when LCFWSA requires its least restrictive mandatory measures. Customers are asked to minimise non-essential use, while automatic irrigation is limited to prescribed overnight schedules and less than 1 inch a week.
Stage 2 is triggered at 85% of production capacity, serious distribution constraints, insufficient water for essential uses, or extreme drought in the Cape Fear River watershed upstream of Lock and Dam No. 1 where county withdrawals leave insufficient downstream ecological flows. The county’s wholesale customers must reduce usage by at least 10% from baseline conditions. Restrictions expand to vehicle washing, power washing, pool filling, ornamental water features and certain hydrant uses.
At Stage 3, when weekly average demand exceeds 90% of production capacity or exceptional drought affects the relevant Cape Fear watershed, wholesale customers must achieve a minimum 20% reduction from baseline. The director may permit limited overnight irrigation, while golf-course watering is capped at less than one-half inch a week.
Stage 4 is the most severe level. It may be declared after any day when demand exceeds total treatment capacity, when earlier measures fail to meet reduction goals, or when LCFWSA declares its most restrictive raw-water emergency stage or experiences an interruption from the King’s Bluff Raw Water Pump Station. Outdoor irrigation, vehicle washing, power washing, pool filling, dust control and most hydrant use are prohibited. Industrial customers must reduce water use by at least 20%.
Penalties escalate with the stage. Stage 1 violations receive notices or warnings. At Stage 2, first, second and third offences carry $50, $200 and $300 charges respectively, with disconnection on the third offence. Stage 4 penalties rise to $200, $500 and $1,000, also with disconnection on the third offence. The director retains discretion to impose penalties up to $5,000 and disconnect service for subsequent violations.
The ordinance also requires public or private systems that buy county water to adopt and enforce the full ordinance and a response plan at least as stringent as Brunswick County’s.
Separately, commissioners approved an updated Hydrant Bulk Water Policy. The programme requires annual permits, vessel inspections, permanently mounted meters and approved backflow prevention before approved customers can draw water from designated hydrants. Participants must submit monthly usage reports, including zero-use reports, by the 15th of the following month. Failure to report for three consecutive months results in permit revocation and loss of the hydrant-usage deposit.
This summary was generated by AI based on the source document and may contain errors.
Source: Board of Commissioners, Brunswick County Utilities