Little Rain Prompts Drought Watch
Though mandatory water-use restrictions are not in place in the Diamond, drought conditions are drawing localities' attention.
By Hank Silverberg
CORRESPONDENT
The Fredericksburg region is under a drought “Watch.” Low precipitation across Virginia has local utilities closely monitoring the water supply.
Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) says despite some rain this past week, 50 counties and 23 cities across the state need to create water conservation plans and ensure all water use ordinances are followed. Some 4.1 million people live in the identified counties and cities, which include Spotsylvania, Stafford, and the city of Fredericksburg.
According the DEQ website, during a drought Watch people should minimize their nonessential water use. Currently, however, no water-use restrictions are in place.
Over the past 30 days the central and Northern areas of Virginia — including Spotsylvania and Stafford, as well as the City of Fredericksburg — received less than 3.0 inches of rain, and the entire state had less than 50% of its normal precipitation over the past 120 days. There have also been below-normal stream flow conditions along several of the state’s rivers, including the Rappahannock.
A spokesman for Fredericksburg says the city is monitoring the situation and at this point is not issuing any public advisories.
The DEQ watch says if there is no sufficient precipitation over the next 16 weeks there could be issues in the long term with water supply.
Drought watches are common. The last drought emergency that required mandated water restrictions in Virginia was back in 2002, the last year of a three-year record-breaking drought. According to Drought.gov, Virginia also experienced a high-impact drought during the late summer and fall of 2023 that was a primary factor in several major wildfires, including the Matts Creek Fire in the Jefferson National Forest.
The region does need sustained precipitation throughout the winter to return to normal.
Spotsylvania County Spokeswoman Michelle McGinnis says the county is watching the water supply. The Rappahannock River Basin is low according to DEQ, but McGinnis says the county’s other three water sources — Hunting Run Reservoir, Motts Run Reservoir, and Ni River Reservoir — all exceed 80% of capacity right now.
The drought is apparently a bit more worrisome for agriculture, with pastures reported to be dry.
In Southwest Virginia, two reservoirs — Switzer Lake and Smith Mountain Lake —are specifically under Watch status.
Track the extent of the statewide drought by visiting Drought.gov’s page for Virginia.
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