CORNELIUS, N.C. (WBTV) – There is controversy over water conservation between one Cornelius business owner and Charlotte Water.
Due to mandatory water restrictions, Charlotte Water says “the operation of decorative fountains, including recirculating fountains, is prohibited. While these fountains reuse water, they still require drinking water to replace evaporation and other losses.
During drought conditions, Charlotte Water’s focus is reducing all non-essential uses of drinking water to help preserve the community’s water supply.”
Read –>Mecklenburg County mandatory water-use restrictions begin this week: What to know
That regulation directly impacts Kalan Summer, the owner of Carolina Fountains, who said those rules are hurting his business.
“Financially it’s been a huge impact. We’re down about 40%. I’ve had to lay off one of my guys. I still have one part time,” said Summer, who adds that he has to maintain customers’ fountains even after they’ve been installed.
Which means those who decide not to run their fountains to avoid the risk of a citation are putting a dent in Summer’s profits.
Doug Poppen is one of those customers who has a dry fountain right now.
“If it’s empty and rain falls and we don’t clean it right away it gets filled with bugs and mosquitos,” said Poppen. “It seems pretty petty.”
Summer has taken his concerns to Charlotte Water advocating for understanding that in his words “the fountains don’t use that much water.”
“My fountain right here, I haven’t added water to this in over a week and it’s been running 24 hours a day. It’s very minimal to refill these fountains. My neighbor has one and it probably takes 50 to 60 gallons to refill,” he said.
Charlotte Water responded to WBTV’s inquiry for comment with this statement.
“We understand Mr. Summer’s concerns and recognize the impact mandatory water conservation measures have had on some businesses. Charlotte Water has communicated with Mr. Summer, shared his feedback with our drought management team, and advised that customers may request a variance, which is reviewed on a case-by-case basis.”
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