Honestly, I am ok with this. I don’t really have any real data to back it up with, but it seems like Raleigh really needs to have a greater sense of conservation when it comes to water. Maybe they shouldn’t be called restrictions anymore, but just be considered to be the norm. This is all just my opinion though, it could be that we can avoid issues like last summer by simply putting restrictions in place as soon as levels begin dropping and try to enforce.

Lake level is not a great measure by itself of the “health” of our water supply. You also need to figure in the water table and underground aquifers. My understanding is that the recent heavy rains have had less positive effect on the water table – thus the mayor’s hesitancy to lower the water alert. We could be right back where we were last fall in a few months. Then everyone will complain about city officials not looking ahead to the problem.

The city is doing the right thing by continuing its water restriction policies. People seem to be confused by the ebbs and flows in lake levels which, when low, predict disaster, and when temporarily high, predict an end to all the water problems. The water restrictions are not, as I understand them, designed to ensure that there is enough water for people to use luxuriously and gratuitously as they endlessly fancy, but are instead a response to a much broader, long-term problem. Taking responsibility for a valuable resource – and our behaviour toward that resource – is commendable.

We would never need restrictions if water were priced like the scarce resource that it is. Why do we insist on using the least-effective method (unenforceable restrictions) to try to conserve water? A true supply-and-demand pricing system could solve all of our problems!

Everyone needs water, including low-income families, so making the price of water even more expensive would put additional strain on them. The price of everyday commodities like food and gas are already skyrocketing, why add to that problem? All it takes is concerted effort on all citizens to be educated and aware of the current situation of our water levels.

Interesting, this is the second time recently someone suggested that allowing water to flow from Falls Lake into the Neuse River is spilling it. I had thought that rivers having water flowing in them is a good thing? Is that not what makes them a river? Don’t fish and other creatures live downstream? Don’t people also live downstream? It surprises me that people think water flowing in a river is wasteful….
Personally, I think given that when Raleigh had instituted the severest restrictions that use only went down I think about 4% or so – that we need to institute controls on its use. The control I favor most is pricing it higher. As for the low income folks, I think that above a certain reasonable amount the rates should increase dramatically.

[...] 2008 Ends Exceptional Drought, Water Restrictions Continue Despite Excess Water [...]

How will this play out with residents like the repercussions? I was reading an article that stated restrictions like no car wash after a time, no bird baths, no lawn watering and I bumped into a solution for car wash. Has anyone ever head of a waterless car wash?