Set sprinklers to water the lawn or garden only - not the street or sidewalk.
Use the microwave to cook small meals. (It uses less power than an oven.)
Purchase "Green Power" for your home's electricity. (Contact your power supplier to see where and if it is available.)
Scrape, rather than rinse, dishes before loading into the dishwasher; wash only full loads.
Cut back on air conditioning and heating use if you can.
Turn off appliances and lights when you leave the room.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Between the recent rains and residents’ conservation areas, the drought is improving and some areas are easing water restrictions.
So who can water, and when? Some counties and towns are allowing once-a-week lawn watering; others still prohibit it. And some cities, like Monroe, no longer have mandatory restrictions and are simply asking residents to use wisely.
We’ve mapped out what types of watering is now allowed, and where. Click here to see our interactive map.
Here’s a list of water restrictions that have recently been eased:
Rock Hill, SC:
ALLOWED: Once-a-week watering. Odd numbered addresses on Saturday. Even numbered addresses on Sunday.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities:
ALLOWED: Lawn watering on Saturdays for odd-numbered addresses, and on Sundays for even-numbered addresses.
BANNED: Residential car washing, refilling empty pools and operating ornamental fountains. Click here for details.
Lancaster County:
ALLOWED: Lawn watering on Saturdays for odd-numbered addresses, and on Sundays for even-numbered addresses.
BANNED: Residential car washing, refilling empty pools and operating ornamental fountains. Click here for details.
Lincoln County:
ALLOWED: All outdoor water uses -- including car-washing, pressure washing and pool-filling -- on Saturdays for odd-numbered addresses, and on Sundays for even-numbered addresses.
Union County:
ALLOWED: Lawn watering on Saturdays for odd-numbered addresses, and on Sundays for even-numbered addresses.
BANNED: Serving tap water at restaurants, filling pools, washing cars at home. Click here for details.
Cities of Concord and Kannapolis:
ALLOWED: Lawn watering with a spring-loaded nozzle on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
BANNED: Sprinkler-system watering, acitivation of new irrigation services, residential car washing, pool-filling. Click here for details.
Cities of Hickory, Lenoir, Morganton, Conover and Clarement, and towns of Granite Falls, Valdese, and Long View:
ALLOWED: Lawn watering from 7-11 a.m. or 7-10 p.m. on selected days. See news release for details. Residential car washing is allowed on 1st and 3rd Saturday of each month from 7-11 a.m. Pool refilling is allowed between the same lawn watering hours.
BANNED: Operating ornamental fountains. Click here for more info.
City of Monroe:
Voluntary water restrictions only. Residents are asked to refrain from automatic lawn irrigation and eliminate outdoor washing.
City of Belmont:
ALLOWED: Hand-watering of plants, trees and gardens.
BANNED: Lawn watering.
Bessemer City:
ALLOWED: Minimum car washing and lawn watering.
BANNED: Outdoor washing. Click here for more details.
