Brunswick County Commissioners updates water shortage plan amid ongoing drought

BOLIVIA, NC (WWAY) — As drought conditions continue to affect Brunswick County, county leaders have approved changes to the county’s Water Shortage Response Plan to better align with state guidelines.

The Brunswick County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the updated plan during its meeting on Monday.

According to Brunswick County Public Utilities Director John Nichols, the revisions modify how irrigation restrictions are handled during a Stage 2 water conservation alert. Under the county’s previous plan, automatic irrigation systems would have been required to shut off completely once a Stage 2 alert was declared. Brunswick County entered a Stage 2 water conservation alert on June 25.

Under the updated plan, residents and developers will be allowed to continue limited irrigation during designated times while the county gains the ability to enforce violations through fines.

Commissioner Randy Thompson said he was in favor of using penalties to discourage repeated or serious violations.

“Any type of flagrant violation needs to be, there needs to be a fine associated with it,” Thomspon said. “It depends upon how flagrant the violation is. I’m okay with getting their attention.”

Commissioners also discussed whether highly treated wastewater, known as effluent water, could be used to help address water shortages.

Nichols said the county would first need to obtain new wastewater treatment plant permits before effluent water could be used for purposes such as dust control and erosion management.

County officials emphasized that the revisions do not change the county’s current drought response stage. Brunswick County remains under a Stage 2 water conservation alert and has not advanced to Stage 3.