For the purpose of this subchapter the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
"AESTHETIC WATER USE." Water use for ornamental or decorative purposes such as fountains, reflecting pools, and waterfalls.
"COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL WATER USE." Water use integral to the production of goods or services by any establishment having financial profit as their primary aim.
"CONSERVATION." Reduction in water use to prevent depletion or waste of the resource.
"CUSTOMER." Any person, company, or organization using water supplied by the City Utilities Department.
"DOMESTIC WATER USE." Water use for personal needs or for household purposes such as drinking, bathing, heating, cooking, sanitation, or for cleaning a residence, business, industry, or institution.
"DROUGHT ALERT PHASES." Either the state of the CW-DMAG can declare a drought alert. There are five drought alert phases to be determined by the Drought Response Committee for the state or the CW-DMAG. The five phases are:
Drought Response Committee | CW-DMAG |
Incipient drought | Stage 0 |
Incipient drought | Stage 1 |
Moderate drought | Stage 2 |
Severe drought | Stage 3 |
Extreme drought | Stage 4 |
"DROUGHT RESPONSE COMMITTEE." A committee of state and local representatives, created for the purpose of coordinating responses to water shortages within drought management areas and making recommendations for action to the State Department of Natural Resources and/or the Governor. The committee is composed of state agency representatives from the State Emergency Management Division of the Office of the Adjutant General, the State Department of Health and Environmental Control, the State Department of Natural Resources, as well as local committees representing counties, municipalities, public service districts, private water suppliers, public works, power generation facilities, special purpose districts and Soil and Water Conservation Districts.
"DROUGHT RESPONSE MANAGEMENT AREAS." There are four drought management areas corresponding to the major river basins in the state. The four major areas are:
(1) West Savannah;
(2) Central Santee;
(3) Northeast or Pee Dee; and
(4) Southern or Ashpoo, Combahee, and Edisto.
"ESSENTIAL WATER USE." Water used specifically for fire-fighting, maintaining instream flow requirements, and to satisfy federal, state, or local public health and safety requirements.
"EXTREME DROUGHT (STAGE 4).” The drought has increased to extreme levels as demonstrated by drought indices. The department shall continue to evaluate information from various sources. Upon confirmation of an Extreme Drought Alert Phase, the Drought Response Committee may recommend that the Governor issue a public statement that an extreme drought situation exists and that appropriate water-use and withdrawal restrictions be imposed.
"EVEN-NUMBERED ADDRESS." Street addresses, box numbers, or rural route numbers ending in 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, or letters A-M; and locations without addresses.
"FINISHED WATER USE." Water distributed for use after treatment. The terms "water use," "water user," and "water customer" refer to finished water use unless otherwise defined.
"INCIPIENT DROUGHT (STAGE 0).” There is a threat of a drought as demonstrated by drought indices. The incipient drought phase shall initiate in-house mobilization by department personnel and the Drought Response Committee. The department shall routinely monitor the climatic variables, stream flow, and water levels in potable drinking water supplies and water levels in the above and below ground water tables and lakes, and shall notify the Drought Response Committee and relevant federal, state, and local agencies that a portion of the state is experiencing an incipient drought condition. The department must increase monitoring activities to identify a change in existing conditions.
"INSTITUTIONAL WATER USE." Water used by government, public and private educational institutions, churches and places of worship, water utilities, and other lands, buildings, and organizations within the public domain.
"LANDSCAPE WATER USE." Water used to maintain gardens, trees, lawns, shrubs, flowers, athletic fields, rights-of-way, and medians.
"LOW INFLOW PROTOCOL (LIP)." Prescribes levels of escalating response to drought conditions based on trigger points for use during periods of low inflow to the reservoirs on the Catawba River.
"MODERATE DROUGHT (STAGE 2).” There is an increasing threat of a drought as demonstrated by drought indices. Statements must be released to the news media by the department, and appropriate agencies must accelerate monitoring activities.
"NON-ESSENTIAL WATER USE." Categories of water use other than essential water use. Examples of non-essential water use include landscape irrigation and the washing of buildings, parking lots, automobiles, etc.
"ODD-NUMBERED ADDRESS." Street addresses, box numbers, or rural route numbers ending in 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, or letters N-Z.
"RESIDENTIAL EQUIVALENT UNIT (REU)." An equivalency unit defined to be equal to one single-family residence. The city allocated water capacity equals 33 cubic feet per day per REU.
"SC DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES." The state agency with primacy to implement the provisions of the Drought Response Act.
"WATER SHORTAGE." Lack of adequate, available water caused by drought to meet normal demands.
(Ord., passed 7-14-86; Am. Ord., passed 8-12-86; Am. Ord. 03-006, passed 3-11-03; Am. Ord. 07-020, passed 8-14-07)