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6.2.6.2 Regulatory Water Conservation
The Town of Cary requires alternate-day watering for all its customers, including those within the
Town. Odd-numbered addresses may water on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, while even-
numbered addresses may water onWednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. However, watering by
hand (with cans, wands, or hand-held hoses) is allowed any day of the week. The Town modified
its alternate-day watering standard procedure in April 2012 to allow residents who are
reseeding or installing sod to obtain an alternate-day watering exception permit one time per
year, regardless of turf type. Those who violate the alternate-day watering rule receive an oral or
written notice. Repeat violations can lead to civil penalties of $100 for the first citation, $250 for the
second, and $500 for the third.
The Town of Cary requires rain sensors on new automatic irrigation systems that receive
town water (Ordinance 97-032, Section 19-48, August 14, 1997). Once 0.25 inch of rainfall has
occurred, the irrigation system must automatically shut off. Cary’s land development
ordinance also requires the use of drought-tolerant native plants in commercial landscaping.
In 2003, the Town of Cary began requiring permits for all new customers installing automatic
irrigation systems. Additionally, the Town of Cary requires the installation of separate
irrigation meters for in-ground irrigation systems (Code of Ordinances, Article III, Division I,
Chapter 36, Section 36-76).
The Town of Cary’s Town Manager is authorized, by ordinance, to invoke water use reduction or
rationing measures and to develop and enforce those conservation measures when a water
emergency exists. Those within the Town also must follow these measures. The Town has a
Water Shortage Response Plan that outlines policies to implement water use reductions.
Voluntary, mandatory, and water-shortage-emergency measures may be imposed on all Town
water customers for the duration of the water emergency.
If restrictions or bans are placed on certain types of water use, the Water Conservation
Program team and other Town employees enforce the restrictions or bans. The first violation
results in a written notice ordering that the violation be corrected within a specified time. If
the violation is not corrected, any of the following penalties may apply: civil penalties,
criminal penalties, termination of water service, injunctive relief, or any appropriately
equitable remedy issuing from a court of competent jurisdiction.
6.2.11.3 Incentives for Water Conservation
The Town of Cary’s Water Conservation Program team provides rebates for water
conservation devices, such as early-closing toilet flappers that reduce water consumption
from toilet use. They also provide rain barrels at cost to residents, as well as lower-cost kits
for residents to build their own rain barrel. The Town has provided warm season grass
incentives for new development, as well as a turf buy-back program, encouraging residents
to replace their turf with natural area or warm season grass.
The Town of Cary has a tiered-rate system to provide incentives to use less water. The
highest-rate tiers are based on a “water budget,” which takes into account the amount of
water needed for landscape irrigation. The residential water budgets (23,000 gallons per
month) are based on a typical lot size, while non-residential water budgets are developed on
a site-specific basis. An example is presented in Table 6-6. The Town also charges the lowest