Rain, conservation efforts delay tougher water restrictions

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – There’s good news on the drought front: Recent rains have made a significant dent in our water supply.

Taking an aerial tour of local lakes Monday, you can see a marked difference in the levels.

The water is slowly covering the barren spots once exposed by the drought. Even the boat ramps are now re-opening.

"When you start to see the debris building up in certain areas,” HQ Marine owner Tony Quinn told WCNC, “you know the water is starting to come up."

No doubt, tremendous strides have been made in the last two months. Even Duke Energy officials have backed off their prediction by six months of when Stage 4 water restrictions might once again threaten.

"We still need to conserve electricity. We still need to conserve water and clearly with more rainfall and conservation, our basin can return to normal,” said spokeswoman Marilyn Lineberger.

"That's great news for us because the spring is by far the most important time of year for our business and so the news is big for us,” said Pike Nursery manager James Lynn.

The Ballantyne area business has seen sales drop about 30 percent in since the summer. Lynn hopes lagging numbers will pick up again in mid to late March.

He suggests homeowners consider adding drought-tolerant plants, dormant native grasses and plenty of mulch.

"I think in the long run it might actually be a good thing for everybody to be thinking about water conservation," said Lynn. "The rain is going to come eventually and in years to come I think the landscape around Charlotte will look even better."