The main stipulation of the Level One water emergency enacted Sept. 9 by OWASA does not allow for any water to be used outside except in a firefighting emergency.
The ban on outdoor water use has had a devastating effect on the nursery industry in Orange County.
Dickie Dickinson, co-owner of Dickinson Garden Center, said he was forced to lay off four part-time employees and reduce hours of two full-time employees by 30 percent.
He said sales in the month of September decreased 38 percent and estimated a 60 percent decrease for October if the water restrictions continue.
"The effect in the residential community has been a shock," Dickinson said. "The nursery industry is in very bad shape."
Dickinson argued that a decline in the green industry has had an adverse effect on numerous other businesses in the area. "Landscapers aren't coming in because they don't have jobs, and machines aren't being rented," he said.
He painted a grim picture for the upcoming fall harvesting season, a time when local planters move their products inside to protect them from winter freezes.
"Growers usually move out materials in fall. This year, however, will be different. People don't have enough money this year to protect their plants because they are financially depressed," Dickinson said.
Dickinson and his colleagues proposed a solution to the water restriction problem they say will not use a drop of OWASA water or use a dollar of OWASA revenue. Dickinson proposed buying water from outside sources such as Chatham, Durham and Cary.
