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DRAFT CFE news article (Dec. 7, 2015) Outside of the public water service areas, rural residents depend on groundwater, rather than surface water, for their drinking water. Groundwater consumption is difficult to track because of a lack of groundwater usage information. It is expected that the ongoing growth in the number of water supply wells in the county mirrors growth in overall groundwater consumption. However, if the trend in decreasing per capita water consumption observed at local water utilities reflects a similar unmeasured trend amongst groundwater users, the net use of groundwater could also be decreasing. Conversely, the increasing number of residential consumers of groundwater could offset any decrease in per capita residential consumption, resulting in an increase in groundwater consumption. Unfortunately, analysis of trends or determining the amounts of groundwater used is not possible without local consumption data. To support a healthy environment and sustainable growth, the water resources of Orange County, both surface water and groundwater, must be managed carefully such that these finite resources are not overtaxed or wasted. What can be done to help manage Orange County's Water Resources? • Get informed about local sources of water and the importance of conserving all water supplies. • Perform a water audit of your water consumption and discover if there are easy steps you can take to reduce your use of potable water. Examples include fixing leaks, even minor leaks, taking shorter showers, installing a rain barrel or rain garden, planting drought tolerant plant species, and many others! Track local groundwater conditions through Orange Well Net (OWN), a network of groundwater observation wells used to monitor local groundwater conditions- http://www.ncwater.org/?page=537&lmp=&county ame=&search=&t1=1&aguifer=& tafion=&net=ora nge inactive=