Stage 6, which officials will enact within the week, has never before been reached in that area. The specific details of Stage 6 were unknown even to town officials until they were unveiled this weekend.
Two requirements of the Stage 6 restrictions are that hotels must ask guests staying in the hotel for multiple nights if they do not need to have their bed sheets changed daily and that restaurants must use single service plates, utensils and cups.
The Stage 6 restrictions also outline a number of recommendations for customers, such as limiting toilet flushing and refraining from the use of garbage disposals or automatic dishwashers.
With the area suffering from the worst drought in recorded history, the need to go above and beyond any previous restrictions has become dire.
Officials from the Holiday Inn Express in Hillsborough say they already have been doing their part to conserve water.
Mihir Desai, an employee of the Holiday Inn at 202 Cardinal Drive said the hotel is anticipating the Stage 6 restrictions and has been asking hotel guests to reduce their water usage and cut down on the amount of towels used so that less will have to be washed by the hotel staff. "We try to use as (little) water as possible," Desai said. "We're using less laundry because you lose a very good amount of water."
Desai said that for the most part, guests have complied and been helpful in conserving water, but he said some guests have been deterred because the hotel closed down its pool.
"We lost a lot of customers because the pool closed," Desai said. The hotel management decided to close it when water restrictions stated that they were not permitted to add any extra water to the pool.
The employees of the Village Diner at 600 West King Street say they are prepared for the Stage 6 restrictions and have devised methods to combat the water shortage. "We've ordered our styrofoam plates and cups," said Mike Cox, an employee of the diner.
