Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Bessemer City, NC– Bessemer City and surrounding areas are actively in or near an extreme drought according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Bessemer City, along with other municipalities and large water providers in the Catawba-Wateree River Basin, is urging voluntary water conservation to its customers at the request of the Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group (CW-DMAG), coordinated by Duke Energy. CW-DMAG has elevated the drought status from Stage 0 (watch) to Stage 1 (voluntary conservation).The City is asking all residents and businesses to help conserve water as part of our Water Shortage Conservation Plan.
Stage I: Voluntary Conservation
At this stage, we are asking everyone to reduce water use where possible. Small changes can make a big difference:
- Limit car washing to the minimum.
- Limit lawn and garden watering to that which is necessary for plants to survive.
- Cease washing down outside areas such as sidewalks, patios, parking lots, service bays or aprons, and the like.
- Cease leaving faucets running while shaving or rinsing dishes.
- Limit watering shrubbery to the minimum required, reusing household water when possible.
- Limit use of clothes washers and dish washers and when used, operate fully loaded.
- Use showers rather than bathtubs for bathing, and limit showers to no more than four minutes.
- Limit flushing of toilets by multiple usage.
- Use disposable and biodegradable dishes as much as possible.
- Use flow restrictive and water saving devices.
- Limit hours of operation of water cooled air conditioners.
- Temporarily delay new landscape work by all residents, businesses, and institutions until the water shortage has ended.
The City will continue to monitor water demand. If conditions worsen, additional conservation measures may be required. For more information about water restrictions, please visit the City’s Code of Ordinances here.
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