Local News
2007 Drought Timeline
Follow some of the key dates of the 2007 statewide drought.
Posted — UpdatedFollow some of the key dates of the 2007 statewide drought:
- March 19: Moderate drought conditions reported in western North Carolina by U.S. Drought Monitor
- April 26: Severe drought hits five western counties, conservation urged
- May 24: Gov. Easley directs state agencies in 12 western counties to stop non-essential water use
- May 31: Gov. Easley expands non-essential water use restrictions to 17 western counties, calls on citizens statewide to voluntarily conserve
- June 14: Gov. Easley extends limits on water use to four more counties; governments in western part of state asked to implement conservation measures
- June 29: Gov. Easley announces drought expands to all 100 counties, urges water conservation by residents and local governments statewide
- Aug. 2: Twenty-seven counties in extreme and severe drought; 39 public water systems impose mandatory or voluntarily restrictions
- Aug. 8: Gov. Easley orders 2-degree hike in thermostat settings
- Aug. 16: Extreme or severe drought spreads to 74 counties. Gov. Easley’s directive mandating a stop to non-essential water use spreads to every county east of I-95
- Aug. 22: Gov. Easley seeks federal disaster aid for drought-stricken farmers
- Aug. 23: Gov. Easley asks all North Carolinians to cut water consumption 20 percent as drought spreads to all 100 counties; 80 public water systems are under either mandatory or voluntary water use restrictions. A total of 130 systems that serve 52 percent of the state have some kind of water use restrictions
- Aug. 24: Gov. Easley asks federal disaster aid for 85 drought-stricken counties
- Aug. 28: Gov. Easley waives road weight restrictions to get hay to drought stricken farmers
- Sept. 7: Local officials statewide asked to impose water conservation plans
- Sept. 13: 98 counties now classified as experiencing exceptional, extreme or severe drought
- Sept. 20: 139 water systems now have voluntarily or mandatory water use restrictions covering 6.7 million of the state’s 8.5 million residents
- Sept. 27: State makes water conservation expert teams available to help local communities
- Oct. 4: Gov. Easley calls for increased regional collaboration as exceptional drought spreads to 55 counties.
- Oct. 15: Statewide outdoor burning ban issued to lessen potential for wildfires
- Oct. 21: Gov. Easley calls on N.C. residents to cut water consumption by 50 percent by end of October
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