Brunswick County warns of total lawn watering ban if drought doesn’t ease

BRUNSWICK COUNTY, N.C. (WECT) - Brunswick County is warning residents that a complete ban on automatic lawn and landscape irrigation could be coming if extreme drought conditions do not improve.

The county is currently under a Stage 2 Mandatory Water Conservation Alert, driven by Extreme Drought, designated D3 on the U.S. Drought Monitor scale, the second-highest tier.

If conditions worsen, officials said a Stage 3 Water Shortage Warning would prohibit all automatic sprinkler use for residential and commercial properties.

The Stage 2 designation carries legal weight. Unlike the previous Stage 1 voluntary alert, residents who do not follow the mandatory irrigation schedule can face significant fees and water service termination.

Brunswick County Public Utilities said it is actively monitoring irrigation use.

Properties found out of compliance will be contacted through the ReadyBrunswick notification system or via the utility account on file. Automated calls will come from 910-253-1799, which cannot receive incoming calls, officials said.

Under the mandatory schedule, irrigation is limited to less than one inch of water per week and may only run between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m. on designated nights, determined by address number:

• Odd-numbered addresses (ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9) and non-addressed facilities: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays
• Even-numbered addresses (ending in 2, 4, 6, 8, or 0): Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays — plus midnight to 4 a.m. on Mondays
• No irrigation is permitted for odd addresses on Mondays

The restrictions apply to residential lawns, landscaping, athletic fields, and golf courses not using private groundwater wells or reclaimed water.

Residents can find updates here.