A week of wet weather eased Charlottesville’s water woes—at least for the moment—and replenished receding reservoirs. Thomas Frederick, director of the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, said, “We’re full. The reservoirs are running at capacity,” including the Ragged Mountain and Sugar Hollow reservoirs, which were seven inches below normal last month.
The dry spell prompted the RWSA to declare a “Drought Watch” on June 19. Between then and June 29, however, nearly 5.5 inches of rain fell on Central Virginia, causing flash floods and prompting Governor Tim Kaine to declare a statewide emergency on Wednesday, June 28.
So it looks like we won’t go thirsty for a few more months, but just in case we run dry, the RWSA is finally ready to present a coordinated drought response plan for the region, which will be up for discussion at City Council chambers on July 13.
“Drought Watch” is the plan’s first stage, asking people “to voluntarily conserve water to the maximum extent possible” and increasing public awareness regarding an impending drought. When the probability of a drought becomes imminent, the RWSA will declare a “Drought Warning,” and water conservation will be mandated. If efforts to avert drought fail, the situation escalates to stage three: “Drought Emergency,” which calls for tighter regulation of consumption.
Despite the RWSA Board’s effort to generate a unified plan, the City and County have yet to articulate exactly what restrictions would apply during a drought, and how they would be enforced. Thus far, officials say the disparate needs of their constituencies have forestalled response plans: Albemarle County estimates nearly 15,000 of its residents rely on ground-water wells and thus incur greater hardships during drought periods than City residents.
Categories