Moderate Drought

The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Drought Response Committee has upgraded the drought status to the “Moderate” level statewide. Darlington County Water and Sewer Authority will seek voluntary reductions from its customers in the use of water for all purposes and voluntary reductions on using water during certain peak water demand periods such as 7:00 a.m.- 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Specifically, the goal during this phase is to achieve a reduction of 20% in residential water use and 15% in other water uses such as commercial, industrial, institutional and irrigation; and a reduction in overall water use of 15%. The following is a list of things to do to help achieve a reduction:

• Reduce residential water use to 65 gallons per person per day and a maximum of 265 gallons per household per day
• Eliminate the washing down of sidewalks, walkways, driveways, parking lots, tennis courts and other hard surfaced areas
• Eliminate the washing down of buildings for purposes other than immediate fire protection
• Eliminate the flushing of gutters
•  Eliminate the domestic washing of motorbikes, boats, cars, etc.     
• Eliminate the use of water to maintain fountains, reflection ponds and decorative water bodies for aesthetic or scenic purposes, except where necessary to support aquatic life
• Reduce watering of lawns, plants, trees, gardens, shrubbery and flora on private or public property to the minimum necessary.  Encourage outdoor watering to be done during off-peak hours
• Reduce the amount of water obtained from fire hydrants for construction purposes, fire drills or for any purpose other than firefighting or flushing necessary to maintain water quality
• Limit normal water use by commercial and individual customers including, but not limited to, the following
  • Stop serving water in addition to another beverage routinely in restaurants
  • Stop maintaining water levels in scenic and recreational ponds and lakes, except for the minimum amount required to support aquatic life
• Repair any leaks in your homes and yards.

Thank you for your cooperation and assistance with this matter, Darlington County Water & Sewer Authority.