The recent rainfall was not enough to change the drought conditions in our region. Continued action is needed to protect our regional water supply as the drought conditions persist.

The U.S. Drought Monitor's recent drought maps show the majority of North Carolina, including Concord, Harrisburg, Kannapolis, and Cabarrus County are in extreme drought, and there are portions of southern Cabarrus County in exceptional drought.

You can track drought conditions in our state by visiting the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council website at https://www.ncdrought.org/.

Due to ongoing dry conditions, action is needed to help protect our regional water supply. 

We continuously monitor drought conditions and coordinate with our regional partners, including the Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group (DMAG). The DMAG has a Low Inflow Protocol that outlines steps water systems must take to reduce water use during droughts or low inflow to the Catawba River basin.

Because the City of Concord, in partnership with the City of Kannapolis, has an Inter Basin Transfer (IBT) agreement to draw water from the Catawba River basin, we are required to take similar, corresponding measures to reduce water use during droughts. 

Our Inter Basin Transfer (IBT) agreement allows a maximum of 10 million gallons per day (MGD) to be transferred from the Catawba River basin to the Rocky River basin, as well as 10 MGD from the Yadkin River basin to the Rocky River basin. This Inter Basin Transfer agreement is important to our ability to provide reliable water service to customers. 

We are located within the Rocky River basin, which is not a water rich area. Within the basin, we draw from Lake Howell and Lake Fisher. These natural water sources are not large enough to support the current and future demand for water from our residents. The Inter Basin Transfer agreement allows us to purchase additional water from the Catawba and Yadkin to meet our water needs.

We are in Level 2, mandatory water restrictions.

The restrictions help protect our water supply for essential needs during extreme drought conditions by reducing system-wide water usage by 5-10%. 

• Watering and irrigation of lawns, gardens, and ornamental plants is limited to the following:
  • Tuesdays after 8 p.m. - Wednesdays before 8 a.m.
  • Saturdays after 8 p.m. - Sundays before 8 a.m.
• Hand-held watering containers can be used any day without restriction.
• Filling of newly constructed and drained pools is allowed by permit only. 
• No washing vehicles at home.
• No pressure washing your home or driveway, except by pressure washing companies.
• Washing of public buildings, sidewalks, and streets is prohibited, unless required for safety or health regulations.

All City of Concord water customers, including homes and businesses, must follow the mandatory water use restrictions.

If you have a private well, you do not need to follow the water use restrictions. To avoid possible violation warnings, please be sure you have a Well Water Irrigation sign properly displayed at your home or business. You can request a free sign by calling Customer Care at 704-920-5555.

You may use hand-held watering containers for your garden and plants any day of the week without restriction. 

Irrigation and the use of garden hoses for watering is allowed from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. on Tuesdays and Saturdays only.

Yes. The "topping off" of swimming pools due to water loss from normal use and evaporation is allowed any day of the week without restriction.

Most modern commercial car washes reclaim and recycle water, and because of this they use significantly less water compared to washing vehicles at home. 

The average garden hose uses 10 gallons of water per minute. That means just ten minutes of washing your car at home can use 100 gallons of water or more. In comparison, the average self serve bay at a commercial car wash uses about 15 gallons of water per car.

Violations of the mandatory water restrictions my result in a citation and utility fees. 

Fees for violations of mandatory water use restrictions:

• Residential - First Offense: $100
• Residential - Second and Subsequent Offense: $300
• Commercial/Institutional - First Offense: $500
• Commercial/Institutional - Second and Subsequent Offense: $1,500
• Industrial - First Offense: $500
• Industrial - Second and Subsequent Offense: $1,500

Any fees incurred for violations of the mandatory water use restrictions will be applied to customer's utility bill.

Firefighting and fire suppression, including the flushing of hydrants if necessary, are not included in the Level 2 water restrictions. Concord Fire and our emergency response partners throughout the region will continue to have full access to the water supply and tools necessary to keep homes and businesses safe during an emergency.

No. Businesses whose stock trade is in live plants, including nurseries and retail garden centers, are exempt from the restriction limiting watering and irrigation to two days per week.

Yes you can connect a hose to a rain barrel for watering and irrigation of lawns, gardens, and plants. Rain barrels are an economic and sustainable way to reduce water usage by collecting the rainwater runoff from roofs to use for lawn and garden irrigation.