CARY, NC – In an ongoing effort to provide flexibility to Cary citizens, residents may now apply on-line or by phone for a temporary exception to the Alternate Day Ordinance for seeding or reseeding their lawns. Simply send an email to waterpermit@townofcary.org. Please provide your name, address, telephone number, type of grass, and the date you wish for your exception to begin. Exceptions can also be arranged by calling Public Works and Utilities at (919) 469-4090 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Three-week exceptions to the alternate day ordinance are once again allowed in Cary, this year from April 15 to August 31 for the establishment of warm season grasses such as Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Augustine, and centipede. Exceptions for planting cool season grasses, such as fescue, may be obtained from September 15 through November 30. Customers may receive one exception per year.

"Both of these options allow flexibility for gardeners and those establishing new lawns while continuing to preserve the Town’s finite natural resources," said Rob Bonné, Utilities Director. "In addition, Alternate Day Watering saves the taxpayers money in the long run by reducing peak demand and delaying future expansions to the Town’s water treatment capacity."

Exceptions only apply to automatic watering systems or sprinklers; no exception is necessary for hand watering. In its meeting of April 24, 2002, the Cary Town Council approved a provision for hand watering on any day of the week. It is expected that hand held watering will provide the necessary in-between day water to keep grass seed moist so that it will germinate; however, customers may wish to obtain an exception in order to use their irrigation systems on their off day.

The Alternate Day Watering Ordinance allows watering for odd numbered addresses (addresses ending with a 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9) on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday and for even numbered addresses (addresses ending with a 0, 2 , 4, 6, or 8) on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. No watering is allowed on Mondays.

In 1996, the Cary Town Council made a commitment to reduce water use per capita 20 percent by 2015. To date, per capita use has decreased by 6 percent.