Oak Island updates water shortage plan as drought prompts stronger conservation efforts

OAK ISLAND, NC (WWAY) — As drought conditions continue across southeastern North Carolina, local governments are tightening water conservation measures while urging residents and visitors to do their part to reduce water use.

Brunswick County remains under a Stage 3 water conservation alert, prompting municipalities such as Oak Island to align their local policies with the county’s restrictions.

For Melissa Leinbach, a vacation to Oak Island came with an unexpected request from the owners of the rental she’s staying in.

“We’re under some water conservation. We would really like it if you could please avoid washing your car, you know, try not to use any excess water. And just otherwise, you know, please be conscientious about the amount of water that you use,” Leinbach said, recalling the message from the owners of the rental home where she is staying.

Leinbach, who is visiting from northeastern Tennessee, said her home region is not experiencing drought conditions. She noticed signs of the drought’s impact as she drove into Brunswick County.

“I was surprised coming into town, I saw where there was a blueberry farm that said closed due to drought and so I was very disappointed,” she said.

On Monday, the Oak Island Town Council voted to update the town’s water shortage plan to match Brunswick County’s structure. The changes reduce the number of water conservation levels from five to four.

In a 4-1 vote, council members also approved an updated fee schedule for violations of the county’s conservation measures.

Under the Stage 3 alert, a first violation carries a $100 fine, a second violation results in a $400 fine and a third violation carries a $600 fine along with water service disconnection.

Not everyone on Oak Island is affected by the county’s restrictions. Some homes rely on private wells rather than the county water system. Owners of one home, who declined to speak on camera, said they have continued irrigating their lawn because their property uses well water and is not subject to the county’s irrigation schedule. But they do try to conserve water by not irrigating as often as they used to.

Oak Island Mayor Christopher Brown said the town has seen relatively few violations and believes education has been more effective than enforcement.

“As I was saying in the meeting that I’ve had friends of mine come to me and say hey, we didn’t realize. The town went to them, had a great 20 minute conversation, explained everything. They’re now in compliance. Probably the most thing about doing better will be how do we notify people? One of the big things we talked about was our rental community. How do we notify our rentors of the water shortage so they can be cognizant of it?” Brown said.

Brown said Oak Island has reduced its daily water usage by about 500,000 gallons, nearly a 30% decrease, as part of the town’s efforts to help Brunswick County conserve water during the ongoing drought.

He said the town council plans to revisit the water shortage plan once drought conditions improve to evaluate the response and make any changes needed to better prepare for future water shortages.