Spanberger urges water conservation as Richmond drought persists
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Illustration: Maura Losch/Axios
Gov. Spanberger is urging Virginians to voluntarily conserve water as drought conditions persist in the Richmond region and across the state.
Why it matters: Despite the recent rain, Richmond has been in severe drought for more than two months, while conditions are worsening in parts of the suburbs.
- If drought conditions continue, Spanberger could implement mandatory water restrictions statewide, the governor's office has warned.
State of play: A "significant lack of precipitation" has left Virginia in its driest recorded period since 1941, the office wrote in a news release last week encouraging water conservation.
- The announcement followed the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) moving all but six localities in the state — all in southeast Virginia — to a drought warning.
- A drought warning is DEQ's second-highest response advisory and means "a significant drought event is imminent," per the agency.
- Metro Richmond has been under one since April.
Zoom in: Spanberger is encouraging Virginians to take "commonsense steps" to conserve water, including:
- 🌳 Reducing lawn and garden watering to every other day — and only between dusk and dawn
- ⛲️ Turning off ornamental fountains
- 🧽 Limiting vehicle and paved surface washing
- 🤿 Limiting the filling of swimming pools
Between the lines: The voluntary conservation is aimed at "safeguarding our water supply," the governor wrote, which could be affected if the drought conditions continue.
- Most of the state's water reservoirs remain full, per the governor's office.
- But some parts of Central Virginia, including Louisa and Caroline counties, implemented mandatory water restrictions this month due to concerns over their reservoir levels.
Flashback: The last time a Virginia governor issued mandatory water use restrictions was 2002 under now-Sen. Mark Warner.
- Back then, most of the state couldn't water their lawn, fill their pool or wash their car from Aug. 30, 2002, through the rest of the year.
By the numbers: The state's average precipitation is about 7.5 inches below normal for the "water year," which runs Sept. 30-Oct. 1, per DEQ.
- While Richmond is likely to see rain Tuesday, the region is forecasted to get between a tenth and a quarter of an inch, per the National Weather Service — so less than needed.