About Us

The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council that originated in 1992 was given official statutory status and assigned the responsibility for issuing drought advisories in 2003. The drought advisories provide accurate and consistent information to assist local governments and other water users in taking appropriate drought response actions in specific areas of the state that are exhibiting impending or existing drought conditions.

The Drought Monitoring Council was an interagency coordination and information exchange body created in 1992. In 2002, the council did a creditable job monitoring and coordinating drought responses, while increasing public awareness of the council's function and effectiveness. The General Assembly recognized the Drought Monitoring Council's leadership and performance by giving them an official statutory base and changed its name to the Drought Management Advisory Council (DMAC) to reflect the broader role of the council, which extends beyond monitoring drought conditions.

On July 17, 2003, North Carolina General Statute 143.355.1 was ratified to assign the DMAC an important new role, which became evident in 2002. A number of local governments indicated that it would be helpful to have official, objective drought status advisories to give them a reliable basis for their management responses. The new statute assigned this new advisory role to the DMAC and also specified that drought advisories are to be based on technical data to address varying conditions throughout the state. The new system avoids the problems that some states have experienced in declaring drought warnings statewide, when conditions did not warrant it in all regions of the state, by tailoring advisories to local conditions.

When determining the issuance of a drought advisory, the Council takes into account stream flows, ground water levels, the amount of water stored in reservoirs, weather forecasts, the time of year, and other relevant factors for assessing the location and severity of drought conditions.

The General Assembly amended the statute in 2004, requiring the Council to submit an activities report to the Secretary, the Governor, and the Environmental Review Commission by October 1st of each year. The report includes a review of drought advisories issued by the Council and any recommendations to improve coordination among local, State, and federal agencies; public water systems; and water users. The purpose of the report is to continue to identify areas for improving the management and mitigation of the harmful effects of drought.

Section 1 of this act also made drought response provisions a mandatory requirement in municipal water supply plans and expanded water supply planning responsibility to all community water systems that serve 1,000 or more connections or 3,000 or more individuals.

The intent of the new statute is for the DMAC to continue with essentially the same membership and functions that the Drought Monitoring Council previously exercised, but with new statutory authority and a new responsibility for providing a system of localized drought assessment and to issue advisories when needed. Importantly, the operation of the DMAC continues to carry on the same role as the Drought Monitoring Council did in support of the North Carolina Emergency Operations Plan and the activation of the Drought Assessment and Response Plan.

Organizations invited to serve on the Council include: