Kannapolis is asking residents to tighten the faucets as drought conditions squeeze the city’s water supply. Officials on Monday urged immediate conservation and placed the city under Stage 1 voluntary restrictions, asking homeowners and businesses to cut back on nonessential outdoor water use.
The alert went out on the Kannapolis Fire & Police Facebook page, which described Kannapolis and Cabarrus County as facing extreme drought conditions and confirmed the move into Stage 1 voluntary water restrictions. The post also laid out the rainfall deficit the area is up against - 7.6 inches below normal in 2025 plus another 4 inches short so far in 2026 - and asked residents to start conserving right away, according to Kannapolis Fire & Police on Facebook.
What Stage 1 Really Means For Your Yard And Your Hose
Stage 1 is a voluntary conservation phase that aims to trim overall water use by roughly 3 to 5 percent while regional suppliers tweak operations to stretch supplies. Earlier this month, the Catawba‑Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group declared the basin in Stage 1, a move that prompted several municipal water systems in the region to ask customers to dial back outdoor watering and put off nonessential uses, according to the Catawba‑Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group.
Local guidance across the basin has focused on simple, practical steps rather than drastic cutoffs. That typically includes keeping landscape watering to about one inch per week, limiting irrigation to two days a week on an odd or even schedule, avoiding watering in the middle of the day, and cutting back on washing cars at home. Notices from cities in the basin stress that small changes like these slow down reservoir declines and can help avoid mandatory rules later. The City of Claremont offers a representative list of these recommendations.
Statewide Burn Ban And High Fire Risk
On top of the water worries, the N.C. Forest Service has put a temporary stop to outdoor burning statewide. The agency issued an open burning ban effective March 28 and canceled all burning permits until further notice, citing dry fuels and elevated wildfire danger. The ban does not apply to grills and other approved cooking devices, but anyone who violates the rules can face fines and may be billed for the cost of putting out a resulting fire. Details are outlined in the N.C. Forest Service announcement.
How Kannapolis Gets Its Water And How You Can Help
Kannapolis draws its raw water from Kannapolis Lake, and the city’s Water & Sewer Department reports an average daily demand of about 4 million gallons. With that kind of throughput, even modest conservation steps across thousands of households can ease short-term pressure on the system. The city’s water page lists contact information for Public Works so residents can report leaks and other problems, and officials say that fixing leaks, taking shorter showers, and delaying lawn irrigation are among the fastest ways people can cut back, according to City of Kannapolis Water & Sewer.
If dry weather hangs on, regional water managers could move to higher stages of the Low Inflow Protocol, which include mandatory cutbacks and more significant operational changes. Kannapolis officials say they will keep tracking supply conditions and share updates through the city’s official channels and public safety pages, according to Kannapolis Fire & Police on Facebook.
