Charlotte Water will implement mandatory water restrictions beginning Friday, May 15, 2026, due to ongoing dry conditions. The measures align with regional partners under the Low Inflow Protocol’s Stage 2.
Charlotte Water is asking customers to reduce non-essential water use to help protect the region’s water supply. The goal is to reduce the region's total water usage by 5-10%.
Fines for people violating mandatory restrictions will start at $100. Restrictions include:
- Customers may irrigate lawns and landscapes no more than two days per week, and only between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Homes with odd-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays and Saturdays, while even-numbered addresses may water on Wednesdays and Sundays.
- Residential swimming pools may be topped off only on Thursdays and Sundays, between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- Charlotte Water says customers may not wash vehicles at home, fill residential swimming pools, operate water features that do not support aquatic life, power wash surfaces for non-essential purposes, or hold charity or fundraising car wash events.
- The utility is also recommending additional conservation steps, including reducing indoor and outdoor water use, limiting lawn watering to no more than one inch per week — including rainfall — and identifying and repairing leaks as quickly as possible.
Customers are still permitted to use drip irrigation, soaker hoses, or hand-watering for plants and landscaping, and to use commercial car wash facilities.
If conditions worsen, additional response measures could be considered in alignment with regional protocols.
Duke Energy, which manages the region's water basins through its network of dams, said Friday that commercial customers and utilities will also face restrictions.
"Stage 2 drought conditions mean we have to act now to protect water supplies for essential needs,” said Jimmy Bagley, deputy city manager for Rock Hill and chair of the Catawba-Wateree Water Management Group. “Utilities and large users are implementing the required protocol measures, and we need residents and businesses to immediately cut back on nonessential water use. Every day of conservation matters — and acting early can help prevent even tougher restrictions in the weeks ahead.”
The drought started last fall and has steadily worsened over the last eight months. Nearly all of the region is in "extreme" or "exceptional" drought, the most severe classifications.
“This is the first time we have experienced Stage 2 drought conditions in the region since 2009. Acting now will help manage what could be a hot and dry summer,” said Phil Fragapane of Duke Energy.