News 14's Aaron Mesmer is at Lake Norman, as dropping water levels could start causing major impacts.
LAKE NORMAN, N.C. -- Even with tougher water restrictions in effect, experts say lake levels could reach a critical point without any rain; making a serious impact on daily lives.
Jake Armour teaches geology and earth sciences at UNC Charlotte. He compares the water levels at Lake Norman to a bank account.
“Every drop of water we use is water out of that lake,” said Armour. "If you're spending more than you're making, you've got to stop spending. And in this case, we're using more than we're getting."
Nearly everyone who uses water from the lake would be impacted in one way or another if levels reached a critical point. Businesses,
Dropping levels are becoming more of a concern for experts.
homes, the environment, and anyone using hydro-electric power would be impacted. Even drinking water availability could be at question.
"It would be sort of an economic impact as well as probably a societal impact on our water usage,” said Armour. "If we're faced with a reality in which we have to kind of monitor how much we use, we could dramatically reduce the amount of usage."
That’s why Armour said the restrictions are necessary to keep that critical point as far over the horizon as possible. Currently, there is enough water for essential things like drinking water and fire services. There is no clear word on when or if those would be affected by the drought.