With demand for water increasing as the drought and growth continue, some coastal counties in Eastern North Carolina are tapping a saltier source: rivers of brackish water that flow underground.

Pasquotank and Currituck counties awarded contracts last month to start construction of two water treatment works that will eventually produce a combined 6.5 million gallons per day -- enough to slake the thirst of a town the size of Goldsboro.

They'll produce water by filtering salt from brackish water drawn from deep wells. That will bolster existing supplies of fresh water and help meet the need for more water in the growing communities.

Read the full story on newsobserver.com.