While Greensboro has sufficient water to meet current demand, City officials encourage residents to practice water conservation daily. Learn how.

Greensboro’s Water Sources
Greensboro depends upon three surface water sources to supply its water: Lake Townsend, Lake Brandt, and Lake Higgins. The lakes are located in northern Guilford County in the upper Cape Fear River Basin within a protected watershed. When full, Greensboro’s three water reservoirs hold about eight billion gallons of water.

Water from Lake Brandt is treated at the Mitchell Water Treatment Plant and water from Lake Townsend is treated at the Townsend Water Treatment Plant. Lake Higgins is used to refill Lake Brandt as needed. On average, both plants treat and deliver about 34.7 million gallons per day to nearly 320,756 customers. Learn more about the water treatment process.

Historical Data
Greensboro's historical lake performance graph shows the total lake volume for all three reservoirs from 2000-2017. The graph shows how the worst-recorded drought in North Carolina's history quickly progressed and negatively impacted total lake capacity. Without water restrictions, strong conservation messages in the community, water rates that encourage conservation, and vital interconnects with surrounding cities, the water supply would have been significantly lower. The historical lake performance graph is updated regularly.

Important Links
Water Shortage Management
North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council
National Weather Service-Southern Region