If the state officially declares a drought, these restrictions kick in:
Level One drought: Requires public water systems to educate customers about conditions and encourage conservation.
Level Two drought: Limits outdoor watering to two days a week on a schedule based on address numbers. Even numbered addresses may water Wednesdays and Saturdays (4 p.m. to 10 a.m.); odd numbered addresses may water Thursdays and Sundays (4 p.m. to 10 a.m.). No water can be used for outdoor fountains, car washes or power washing of homes.
Level Three drought: Prohibits all outdoor landscape irrigation. Food gardens may be watered between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. (Soaker hoses and drip irrigation may be used any time.) Hand watering and golf course irrigation are limited.
Continued dry and hot conditions may force metro Atlanta residents to scale back on watering their lawns, according to Channel 2 Action News.
“We need some rain,” Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Karen Minton said. “There’s really not any sustained days of rain for a while. So we’re going to have to continue to watch that.
“Many counties may have to start going to those odd/even watering days,” she added.
DeKalb County has already recommended that residents limit outdoor watering to the hours between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m. to avoid the hottest part of the day and watering lawns according to the odd/even schedule outlined in the 2010 Georgia Water Stewardship Act, the Department of Watershed Management said.
Odd-numbered addresses are asked to water on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays. Even-numbered and unnumbered addresses are asked to water on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
The changes haven’t been mandated at the state level, but the county is requesting residents follow it anyway because of dry conditions.
Most of Georgia is experiencing abnormally dry conditions at best and an extreme drought at worst, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Much of metro Atlanta and northern corners of Georgia have remained in an extreme drought this month.
“And it’s expanding now,” Minton said. “It’s including parts of Hall County and over the Lake Lanier areas.”
When Lake Lanier, metro Atlanta's main water source, is full, water stands at 1,071 feet. Water stood at 1,066.51 feet on Friday, according to the National Weather Service. That's about the same level as it was last week (1,066.75 feet).
Rainfall last seven days: 0.37
Rainfall this month: 2.29
Rainfall deficit since June: 2.10
Rainfall deficit for the year: 4.47
[Values in inches as of end of day Thursday]
About the Author
