News

City urges consumers to be stingy with water use

By Bill Moss, Published: September 28, 2023

The city of Hendersonville is encouraging water customers to limit non-essential water use due to lower-than-normal levels in the water supply. To ensure adequate water supply is available for essential use and public safety, City Manager John Connet has declared a Stage 1 Water Shortage Advisory beginning at midnight Thursday.

“The City of Hendersonville encourages all water customers to take conservation measures,” Connet said. “At this time conservation measures are voluntary, but we encourage all water users to be mindful of usage during this advisory." Connet explained Hendersonville’s utility team and water treatment facility staff have been closely monitoring the water levels at Hendersonville's intakes.

The city last issued a water shortage advisory on Aug. 24 that was lifted on Aug. 29 after the water levels improved. Due to continued dry conditions within the water supply and lower-than-normal flow measurements on the Mills River, the city of Hendersonville has reinstated a Stage 1 Water Shortage Advisory in accordance with the City’s Water Shortage Response Plan. Stage I Water Conservation Compliance consists of voluntary measures including, but not limited to:

• 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.;
• Limit car washing to a minimum;
• Water shrubbery to the minimum required, reusing household water when possible;
• Do not leave faucets running while shaving, brushing teeth, or rinsing dishes;
• Limit flushing of toilets by multiple usage;
• Limit use of clothes washers and dishwashers, and when used, operate fully loaded;
• Take showers rather than bathing and limit the duration of showers;
• The use of disposable and biodegradable dishes is encouraged;
• The use of flow-restrictive and water-saving devices is encouraged;
• Limit hours of operation of water-cooled air conditioners;

All residents, businesses, and institutions are requested to temporarily delay new landscape work until the water shortage has ended.
“We are seeing localized light drought conditions, and even though there is no widespread drought, the water levels coming from the watershed are not at their regular levels,” Utilities Director Adam Steurer said. “Our water system and water treatment facility are fully operational, but we are proactively asking our 80,000 water customers to work with us to conserve water.”

Steurer notes that Hendersonville is blessed with pristine water sources, but no utility system is immune to periods of dry weather. He hopes the voluntary conservation measures taken by customers during the Stage 1 Advisory will prompt the community to think about their water use and establish good water conservation habits.