RALEIGH -- With the current drought impacting the state from the beaches to the mountains, many are still wondering what should be done to combat it.

"There is no one size fits all [answer]. Every community and the situation of every water system is different," said Ellis Hankins, director of the League of Municipalities.

Under the governor's plan, each drought level would have minimum restrictions that would automatically take effect when a community reached that level.

"It's like prescribing medication for patients; everyone is different and it would be a real challenge to find something that works for everyone," said Ed Buchan, Raleigh’s water conservationist.

Buchan uses Raleigh and Cary as examples. While both are in an extreme drought, Cary's water source, Jordan Lake, is plentiful, while Raleigh's Falls Lake is more than eight feet below normal.

However, Buchan adds that a plan with mandatory restrictions could level the playing field.

"There are some communities even within the same basin that don't have a lot of water restrictions in place, so to have some sort of requirement for them would certainly be helpful for the basin as a whole," said Buchan.

Hankins said the vast majority of town leaders agree that the definitions of stages of water restrictions need to be uniform for communities across the state.

"We need to work on things like that before we start implementing more statewide, state-imposed restrictions," said Hankins.

He adds that the state will probably need to step in with funding for some cities, and it could be helpful for the governor to waive restrictions in some situations.

“Most of the decision-making power and authority and discretion needs to stay right there at the local level, but there certainly is a role for the state and governor," explained Hankins.

Hankins said the League of Municipalities plans to make recommendations of its own.

Buchan also said he hopes town and city leaders will be involved when making decisions about statewide restrictions.