State governor urges responsible water use as state's drought conditions reach historic, World War II levels

Democratic Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger called on Virginians Thursday to voluntarily and commonsensically conserve water as the state weathers its driest spell since 1941 despite typically having abundant water resources.

“All Virginians can play a role in protecting our water supply during this historic dry period,” said Gov. Spanberger via a news release. “As communities across the Commonwealth — particularly in Southside and Central Virginia — continue to be impacted by these conditions, it is important that we take commonsense steps to meet this challenge. I’m grateful to Virginians for doing their part, and my office will continue to remain in close coordination with the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force as we focus on safeguarding our water supply.”

The state authorities advised Virginians to conserve water by watering their lawns and gardens every other day and only between dusk and dawn, turning off ornamental fountains, limiting washing of vehicles and paved surfaces except as a matter of public health and safety, and limiting the filling of swimming pools.

Despite some rain across much of Virginia, overall precipitation is about eight inches below average, according to the news release. Virginia is in the throes of moderate-to-extreme drought, with parts of central and southern Virginia being the hardest hit, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows. Nearly all of the state is under a drought warning advisory and its streamflow and groundwater levels are experiencing severe hydrologic drought, according to the most recent Department of Environmental Quality Daily Drought Map.

Planting is delayed and yield projected to reduce, and the conditions prompted the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to declare drought disaster designations across several dozen localities in Virginia and provide emergency loans and other assistance using the USDA’s fast-track disaster declaration process.

“We all know that water is essential to our daily lives. Not just for our personal use, but also for our farmers, our small businesses, and our industries,” said Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources David Bulova. “Taking simple steps now to reduce our own consumption can help prevent more serious restrictions as we move into the summer months. We will continue to regularly monitor conditions with the Drought Monitoring Task Force as we move into the hottest time of year.”

Gov. Spanberger could declare a Drought Emergency should the conditions persist, according to the news release. Water use restrictions for certain users and industries would then become mandatory and drought emergency responses triggered. A Drought Emergency was last declared in 2002, the news release noted.