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Fairfax County leaders are urging Gov. Abigail Spanberger to exempt the Potomac River system from any Virginia drought emergency, warning that state restrictions could disrupt a decades-old regional water plan and impose unnecessary hardship across Northern Virginia.
The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday, June 23, to authorize Chairman Jeff McKay to send the request. The bipartisan action reflects concerns raised by county leaders and Fairfax Water, which supplies about 2.2 million Northern Virginia residents through its retail and wholesale operations.
Fairfax Water relies heavily on the Potomac River. McKay said maintaining regional coordination will be critical during what could be an especially dry summer, with river flows remaining near record lows despite heavy rain on June 22 and intermittent rainfall elsewhere in the region.
County says state review misses most of the system
Fairfax officials argue that Virginia’s drought assessment does not adequately account for the Potomac’s unusual, multistate water system.
More than 60% of the river’s watershed lies outside Virginia, as does all of its upstream water storage. Those resources would not be considered in a drought determination based solely on conditions within the commonwealth.
The county contends that imposing state restrictions without considering the broader watershed, regional reservoir operations and infrastructure investments could create avoidable problems for millions of residents and businesses.
For more than four decades, utilities drawing from the Potomac have jointly planned for shortages, invested in upstream storage and coordinated their operations across Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia.
That work is governed by the Metropolitan Washington Water Supply and Drought Awareness Response Plan, adopted in 2000 following the 1999 drought. The plan establishes Potomac-specific triggers and coordinated responses intended to prevent conflicting actions among jurisdictions sharing the same supply.
Fairfax officials say Virginia law already directs local governments using the Potomac system to incorporate that regional plan into their drought and contingency policies.
Nearly six million residents under drought watch
The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments placed the region under a drought watch in early June, covering nearly six million people.
Residents were encouraged to conserve voluntarily by keeping showers under five minutes, turning off faucets while brushing their teeth or shaving, washing only full loads of dishes and laundry, and repairing plumbing leaks.
Other recommendations include limiting outdoor watering, sweeping sidewalks and driveways instead of hosing them down, and using commercial car washes that recycle water.
Virginia classifies local water conditions as normal, drought watch, drought warning or drought emergency. All of the state is currently in the warning category except far southeastern Virginia, which remains under a watch.
Southside and central Virginia are among the nation’s most drought-stricken areas. State reservoir levels remain healthy, however.
A state drought emergency is rare. Mark Warner was the last Virginia governor to declare one, in 2002. A new emergency covering all or part of the state would bring mandatory water restrictions.
Spanberger urged Virginians earlier this month to begin conserving water to reduce the likelihood that stricter measures will become necessary.
Springfield District Supervisor Pat Herrity, the board’s only Republican, supported sending the letter and expressed hope that the region’s recent rainfall would provide some relief.