The Town of Fort Mill has activated mandatory water conservation rules after the Catawba Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group declared a Stage 2 drought for the region, the Town announced Monday.
In a notice posted May 5, the Town said dry conditions are persisting across the Catawba Wateree River Basin despite recent rainfall, prompting the regional advisory group to escalate from voluntary to mandatory conservation. Under Town of Fort Mill Code of Ordinances Section 36 73, all water customers are now required to limit non essential water use.
Required Conservation Measures
The Town is directing residents and businesses to limit lawn irrigation and outdoor watering, minimize the washing of vehicles, buildings, sidewalks and driveways, reduce water based recreational activities, use efficient methods such as drip irrigation or handheld hoses, and water during early morning or overnight hours to prevent waste.
The Town’s notice describes the Stage 2 restrictions as mandatory and notes that the Town may enforce the provisions to ensure adequate water supply for essential services, including drinking water and fire protection.
What Section 36 73 Requires
The Town’s drought ordinance, codified at Section 36 73, sets a Stage 2 conservation goal of reducing overall water use by five to ten percent. The ordinance limits sprinklers, irrigation systems and other automatic watering devices to no more than two days per week, on a schedule staggered by odd and even street addresses, and only between the hours of 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Newly seeded or sodded lawns may be watered once per day during the same overnight window for the first two weeks after installation, and then must shift to the standard two day per week schedule.
The ordinance also prohibits any water runoff from landscape irrigation, restricts the filling of swimming pools, water slides and similar recreational features to one filling per drought period, and bars the use of municipal water to maintain decorative fountains, reflection ponds or ornamental water features unless aquatic life depends on them. Obtaining water from fire hydrants for construction purposes, fire drills or any purpose other than firefighting or required system flushing is discouraged.
Section 36 73 requires the Town to issue a written proclamation, notify the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Drought Information Center, intensify maintenance efforts to identify and correct leaks in the distribution system, and provide monthly status updates to the state on the success of the restrictions.
Regional Context
Fort Mill purchases its water from the City of Rock Hill, whose deputy city manager Jimmy Bagley chairs the Catawba Wateree Water Management Group. The basin’s Stage 2 designation is the third step on a five stage Low Inflow Protocol scale that runs from Stage 0, a watch level, to Stage 4, an emergency. It is the first time the basin has reached Stage 2 since 2009.
Charlotte Water, the largest utility on the basin, will begin enforcing its own Stage 2 restrictions on Friday, May 15, with violations carrying fines starting at $100. The basin provides drinking water to more than two million people across roughly two dozen counties in North and South Carolina.
The Town’s notice points residents to additional information through Section 36 73 of the Town Code, the Catawba Wateree Water Management Group, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s WaterSense program.
Source: Town of Fort Mill, “Stage 2 Drought (Mandatory Conservation) in Effect,” May 5, 2026.
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