Late June rainfall brings glimmer of hope for Virginia drought as Richmond issues water advisory

RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia's drought is showing some slight signs of improvement thanks to late June rainfall, but dry conditions continue to grip the Commonwealth as Richmond calls for voluntary water conservation measures for the first time since 2002.

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor, released Thursday and based on conditions through Tuesday, shows 34% of Virginia is in moderate drought, 43% is in severe drought, and 23% is in extreme drought. Compared to the previous week's figures of 22% moderate, 52% severe, and 26% extreme, the most intense drought categories have eased — and the expansion of moderate drought reflects areas that were previously in more severe categories improving, not new areas getting drier.

(WTVR)

Residents across the metro Richmond and its surrounding counties are being asked to reduce non-essential water use as precipitation levels across Virginia remain significantly below normal.

The advisory, which took effect Wednesday, July 1, comes as rain levels continue to lag behind where they typically are at this point in the year. Richmond has not called for voluntary water conservation measures since 2002, according to Mayor Danny Avula.

"We want people to continue to take showers and brush their teeth and all of those things, right? We're not in a dire straits situation yet. But by being thoughtful about shortening the time of your showers or shutting the faucet off in between when you're shaving or brushing your teeth," Avula said.

Richmond's water treatment plant supplies water to Richmond, Chesterfield, Hanover, Henrico, Goochland, and Powhatan, making regional participation critical, Avula said.

"We have multiple sources throughout the region, some of our partners in Henrico are tapping Cobbs Creek or Chesterfield, tapping the Appomattox, and so we will be using other sources to make our way through the summer, but the reality is the entire state has been in a drought situation and so we all, we all need to participate in the voluntary measures," Avula said.

While the measures are not required, Avula said the more people who participate, the better.

"There's little things that we can all do to play our part to make sure that we have enough water to get us through the season and hopefully as we head into the fall we'll see it pick back up," Avula said.

Voluntary conservation measures for Richmond (and surrounding counties):

• Monday – No watering
• Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday – odd property addresses may water
• Wednesday, Friday and Sunday – even property addresses may water
  
• Fountains: Run fountains only between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. Fountains may run at any time on two days each week chosen by the owner or operator.
• Paved areas: Wash driveways, sidewalks, and other paved areas on any two days each week. Washing for health or safety reasons is always allowed.
• Swimming pools: Fill or add water to swimming pools only as needed to keep them safe and clean.
• Vegetable gardens and lawns: Water vegetable gardens only between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. Watering with a bucket is allowed at any time.
• Vehicle washing: Wash vehicles on any two days each week using a handheld hose with an automatic shutoff nozzle. Commercial mobile vehicle washing businesses are exempt.
• Restaurants: There are no water use restrictions for restaurants.
• New landscaping: Newly planted trees, shrubs, flowers, and grass may be watered at any time during the first 10 days after planting. After the first 10 days, follow the lawn watering schedule above.
• Golf courses: Water golf courses only between 8 p.m. and 10 a.m. Golf course greens may be watered at any time.

WATCH: These parts of Central Virginia are now under voluntary water restrictions

Other ways to can save water

Officials say water conservation should be an everyday practice at home and at work. Suggested steps include:

• Shorten showers
• Turn off faucets while brushing teeth or shaving
• Run full loads of dishes and laundry
• Disable automatic lawn sprinklers
• Water lawns less frequently
• Wash cars less often

Mandatory restrictions in place across the region

While Richmond's measures are voluntary, mandatory water conservation is already in effect for dozens of community water systems across the state. Twenty-nine community water systems have mandatory conservation measures in place across Caroline, Fauquier, Louisa, Orange, Powhatan, and Shenandoah counties.

Without continued above-normal rainfall, drought conditions are expected to worsen as summer temperatures rise. If conditions deteriorate further, drought advisories in certain localities could be upgraded from warning to emergency status, triggering additional mandatory water use restrictions.

DEQ and the Drought Monitoring Task Force will continue to provide updates every two weeks. Additional information is available on the DEQ Drought webpage and Drought Dashboard, which includes interactive data on stream gauges, groundwater wells, soil moisture, and precipitation.