Meanwhile, Jordan Lake is ‘almost a foot higher than what it is when technically full’

An interesting news item from WRAL:

Unlike Falls Lake north of Raleigh or parched reservoirs in Durham, Jordan Lake is filled to capacity, and several counties and municipalities are looking for ways to lap up the lake’s water to quench their growing thirst.

Experts say Jordan Lake is almost a foot higher than what it is when technically full. Meanwhile, Falls Lake, Raleigh’s primary reservoir, is about 8 feet below normal levels, and Lake Michie and the Little River Reservoir, Durham’s main sources of drinking water, are about 3½ and 20 feet below normal, respectively.

A rush is across the region to tap into Jordan Lake’s waters as the statewide drought moves toward its second summer.

Durham, for example, now gets about 2 million gallons a day from the lake. But state and federal regulators have allocated up to 10 million gallons a day from Jordan Lake’s water supply for the Bull City, and local officials are eager to access that full amount.

“Jordan Lake has shown that it is fairly drought-resistant,” Durham Deputy City Manager Ted Voorhees said.