SALUDA– Saluda water customers are being asked to voluntarily conserve water, as the City of Hendersonville declared a Stage I water shortage after the area was declared as being in an extreme drought.

The Saluda Board of Commissioners met Monday, Nov. 14 and approved declaring the same voluntary water conservation measures for Saluda customers.

Saluda purchases its water from Hendersonville and by contract is required to declare the same stages as Hendersonville.

Saluda manager Jon Cannon said in response to Saluda’s water and sewer ordinance, it is recommended that the board of commissioners declare a Stage I Water Condition Advisory. The advisory will be in effect until the City of Hendersonville declares either a Stage IIA water shortage, Stage IIB and/or a Stage III water shortage or once the water shortage is declared to be over, Cannon said.

Stage I voluntary compliance measures for customers include: to limit car washing to a minimum; limit lawn and garden watering to that which is necessary for plants to survive; do not wash down outside areas such as sidewalks, patios, parking lots, service bays, aprons, etc.; do not leave faucets running while shaving or rinsing dishes; water shrubbery to the minimum required; reuse household water when possible; limit the use of clothes washers and dishwashers, and when used, operate fully loaded; use showers instead of baths and limit showers to no more than four minutes; limit flushing of toilets by multiple usage; the use of disposable and biodegradable dishes is encouraged; the use of flow restrictive and water saving devices; limit hours of operation of water-cooled air conditioners and all residents, businesses and institutions are requested to temporarily delay new landscape work until the water shortage has ended.

For more information about Hendersonville’s water stage restrictions, visit hendersonvillenc.gov/water-conservation.

Polk and Henderson counties have been in an extreme drought since Nov. 1 and were in a severe drought the second half of October.

The area is well below normal precipitation for the year after receiving less than an inch of rain during the months of September and October combined, and only 0.01 inches of rain as of Tuesday, Nov. 15 for the month of November, according to the National Weather Service.

The Town of Tryon has also asked residents to voluntarily conserve water. The drought is expected to continue to worsen through the end of this week. There is a 20 percent chance of rain on Saturday, Nov. 19 for the Tryon area and another 20 percent chance of rain for Wednesday, Nov. 23, according to weather.com.

The U.S. Drought Monitor of North Carolina classifies all 100 counties depending on drought conditions weekly. The classifications include abnormally dry, moderate drought, severe drought, extreme drought and the highest as exceptional drought. As of the latest data on Nov. 8, Polk and Henderson counties were two of nine western North Carolina counties listed in an extreme drought and the counties of Cherokee and Clay were listed in an exceptional drought. 

The drought map can be accessed at ncdrought.org and is normally updated on Thursdays.