Long View Water Restrictions 2026

Long View, NC is part of the Catawba-Wateree River Basin and follows the Low Inflow Protocol coordinated by the Catawba-Wateree Drought Management Advisory Group (CW-DMAG) with Duke Energy. On May 1, 2026 the CW-DMAG escalated the basin to Stage 2 LIP, the first Stage 2 since 2009, and SC and NC utilities began enforcing mandatory restrictions the week of May 5–6, 2026. Long View is a wholesale water customer of City of Hickory Public Utilities. Stage 2 schedule and rules cascade directly from the wholesaler: residents are bound by City of Hickory Public Utilities's Stage 2 declaration, not by a separate Long View ordinance. Stage 2 mandatory rules: • Lawn/landscape irrigation: max 2 days/week, 6 PM–6 AM only • Residential pools: top-off only Thursdays and Sundays, 6 PM–6 AM (no complete fills) • No vehicle washing at home; no power washing; no charity car washes • Hand watering, drip irrigation, and soaker hoses: permitted any time outside the 6 AM–6 PM blackout Goal: reduce regional water use by 5–10%. Drought stage is reviewed on the 1st and 16th of each month. Long View straddles the Catawba and Burke county line directly west of Hickory, one of the few NC municipalities split across two counties. Town Hall sits at 2404 1st Avenue SW; the Henry Fork River, a tributary that feeds into the Catawba and ultimately into the Catawba-Wateree reservoir system, runs through town. The split-county governance is irrelevant for water rules: both halves of Long View are on Hickory's wholesale system, so the entire town follows one Stage 2 LIP schedule. Monitor City of Hickory Public Utilities (https://www.hickorync.gov/public-utilities) and duke-energy.com/Community/Lakes/Drought-Management-Advisory for current LIP stage.

This deficit has accumulated over the current water year and represents a significant departure from historical averages for the Long View area. Water supply reservoirs and aquifer levels are well below seasonal targets, necessitating mandatory conservation measures.