"It's been miserably hot. And miserably dry," Jamie Clarke said.
Clarke noted that the dry conditions are changing the surrounding ecosystem and increasing safety hazards.
"We have trees that are dropping leaves and looking really bad," Clarke said.
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The lack of rain has also changed Clarke's perception of environmental risks in the region.
"Plus, I've never in North Carolina worried about fire danger before, and now I do because of that," Clarke said.
Eno River Farm assistant general manager Tree Barber reported that the prolonged dry spell shortened their strawberry season, reduced blackberry crops, and halted regular floral plantings.
"It has been rough for everybody," Barber said.
Barber noted that the extreme weather has also heavily impacted the agricultural workforce.
"It's been tough employee wise, just being outside and everything as well," Barber said.
The severe shortages have forced Barber to adopt cooperative water-saving measures at home.
"I have four roommates," Barber said.
Barber explained that their household strategy revolves around minimizing daily water consumption.
"We're going to try to combine our laundry loads ... everybody is just trying to use as little as they possibly can," Barber said.
In contrast, Brian Olson, one of the 40% of Orange County residents relying on private groundwater wells, stated his water access remains unaffected.
"There's been good supply of it," Olson said.
Olson expressed satisfaction with the current quality and volume of his private supply.
"It's clean ... tastes good.
