University Lake and Cane Creek, the two reservoirs Orange Water and Sewer Authority draws from, increased in their overall levels from about 34 percent full Friday morning to 56 percent full by 4 p.m. Friday afternoon, an OWASA press release stated.
University Lake, by far the smaller of the two with a 450 million gallon capacity, rose to within 3 inches of full after being 4 feet 7 inches under its limits. Cane Creek, which is about six times larger than University Lake, was 18 feet below full and rose 6 feet to rest at 12 feet under capacity.
The drenching rain was a welcome sight for the area but not the end of OWASA's water problems, said the utility's executive director, Ed Kerwin.
"We're much, much improved," he said. "(Friday's) rain helped us out a whole lot."
Kerwin said despite the rain, the drought is yet to be beaten and customers must continue to conserve water wherever possible. "Responsible use of water is good practice year 'round, in a drought or not," he said.
The water emergency restrictions in place for the area, which do not allow for any outdoor water use except for firefighting, were enacted in other areas nearby, including Durham and Wake counties. Officials in those areas say their residents might see a relaxation of their restrictions in the near future. Kerwin said OWASA will make its decision based on what is good for OWASA and its customers, not moves by other water authorities.
"We're going to do what we need to do based on our situation, not what anyone else does," he said.
Kerwin said it's too early to tell if restrictions would be relaxed as a result of the weekend's weather. Nothing will be changed unless decided by Kerwin or OWASA's board of directors. The next regularly scheduled meeting for the board is Oct. 24.
Kerwin said he will not move until he's satisfied with the data concerning the flow to the area's reservoirs.