Water Restrictions

I feel that the point raised recently by the Durant Typhoons regarding Raleigh's water restrictions bears addressing in more detail. If you haven't already examined the new Stage 2 restrictions, please read them carefully. They will take effect this Friday (February 15th) and apply to your pool if it gets its water from the City of Raleigh or from any of the towns served by Raleigh's water system (Garner, Knightdale, Wendell, Zebulon, Rolesville and Wake Forest).

The salient point, from a swimming pool perspective:

…the following Stage 2 mandatory water conservation restrictions and rules are in effect to regulate the specified uses of water from the City of Raleigh public water supply:
...
2. Filling new swimming or wading pools is prohibited. Filling of pools drained for repair after the effective date of Stage 2 mandatory restrictions and rules is prohibited. Potable water may be added to pools to maintain sanitary operating conditions.

Note the loophole -- as long as your pool is NOT drained on or after Friday, when the new rules take effect, you are allowed to add water to it. This is consistent with a telephone conversation I had two years ago with Mr. Dale Crisp, Raleigh's Utilities Director, in which we discussed possible future restrictions and their impact in swimming pools. He stated at that time that as long as SOME water was maintained in a pool, it would not qualify as empty under the restrictions.

So if your pool is currently empty, my advice is to pump some water, even if only a foot or two, into it before Friday.

If you are unable to avoid having an empty pool, or if you are opening a brand new pool, your options are more limited. Does anyone in TSA fall into either of these categories? If so, you would have to resort to using water that does NOT come from "water from the City of Raleigh public water supply". One option would be to truck water in from elsewhere to fill your pool. I have no idea how expensive this method is, but it appears to adhere to the restrictions.