While the cities of Concord and Kannapolis and the rest of Cabarrus County have received substantial rainfall over the last couple of days, the drought is not over.
Officials will be evaluating stream flows over the next week after the rainfall stops and normal conditions return.
Having full reservoirs at this time does not ensure that they can sustain adequate water levels unless stream flows return to normal.
Without adequate stream flows, water levels will drop quickly during low rainfall periods.
Problems with the streams draining into area lakes, and particularly Lake Howell, impact the yield of local reservoirs during low rainfall periods. That is why the Rocky River sub-basin cannot be compared to adjacent river basins when evaluating the need for restricting water use.
Water restrictions will not be modified until these factors are evaluated. The cities of Concord and Kannapolis will continue to monitor water levels and usage and make changes when warranted.
“Residents have done a tremendous job of conserving water during this drought lowering usage overall by 30 percent. This is commendable and shows the commitment of everyone in the area to conserve this precious resource,” commented Concord City Manager Brian Hiatt.
“Water conservation is still a critical issue,” said Kannapolis City Manager Mike Legg. Over the next several weeks we will need to monitor our lake levels as well as the ground water table and stream flows. Our citizens continue to do an outstanding job limiting their water use, and we appreciate their efforts.”