By Mark Wineka
mark.wineka@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — For now, Salisbury’s water supply from the Yadkin River remains good and is not cause for implementing any restrictions.

City Manager Lane Bailey reviewed for Salisbury City Council Tuesday some of the water-flow thresholds Senior Engineer Jeff Jones of Salisbury-Rowan Utilities is monitoring. Jones reports the river basin upstream of the city’s intake falls into an “abnormally dry” drought category.

Other nearby areas such as Charlotte, Concord, Kannapolis, Landis, Statesville and Mooresville have reached a “moderate drought” category.

The seven-day average flow at the city’s intake (at the end of Hannah Ferry Road) is 751 million gallons of water a day. The city’s measurement criteria calls for “no response” when the flow is that strong, Jones reported.

The city would go to an “alert” status if the drought category changes to “moderate drought,” or the seven-day flow drops to less than 485 million gallons a day.

The city would move to voluntary water-use restrictions if the flow dropped to less than 323 million gallons a day, Jones reported.

The bottom line: Salisbury-Rowan Utilities customers are under no water restrictions.

In other business Tuesday, council:

• Conducted a public hearing before formally closing a portion of Hall Street in the area where the Salisbury Housing Authority is building the new Civic Park Apartments. A new street will be part of Phase II, and Executive Director Sam Faust said the overall project will include several naming opportunities for men such as the late Fred Evans, Roy Leazer and Mark Hunter.

• Conducted a public hearing before rezoning a 1.3-acre parcel on Jake Alexander Boulevard South from general residential to corridor mixed-use. Linda Sanders of Mount Pleasant owns the parcel, which is near Faith Road, and she made the rezoning request. The Salisbury Planning Board also favored the rezoning.

• Awarded a $129,782 unit-price contract to Little Mountain Builders of Catawba County Inc. to construct sidewalk on Jake Alexander Boulevard between Castlewood Drive and Brenner Avenue. The N.C. Department of Transportation approved $125,000 in “enhancement” funding for the sidewalk. City Engineer Wendy Brindle said the city’s financial staff “feels the potential overrun” of $4,782 can be handled within the engineering department’s approved budget.

• Appointed Kim Davis as a city alternate to the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Contact Mark Wineka at 704-797-4263.