The town understands the fundamental need to make efficient use of the limited and valuable water resource under its stewardship in order to protect the public’s health and safety and environmental integrity. The purpose of this document is to establish a plan and procedures for managing water demand and evaluating supply options before and during a drought-related water shortage. The intent is to satisfy the requirements of the Drought Response Act of 2000 (S.C. Code §§ 49-23-10 et seq., as amended) with the goal of achieving the greatest public benefit from domestic water use, sanitation and fire protection and to provide water for other purposes in an equitable manner. Therefore, the town has adopted this Drought Management Plan (§ 53.42) and drought response ordinance (§§ 53.43 through 53.50) that provide the policies and the authority to fulfill this obligation. The Drought Management Plan outlines the framework by which the town will internally prepare for water shortages. The ordinance provides the regulations by which the town will manage and control its customer water usage during various levels of a drought.
(Ord. 06-03-03, passed 6-3-2003)