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Northern Virginia remains under a drought warning advisory, with officials urging residents to reduce outdoor watering and other nonessential water use.
The advisory covers Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William counties, along with several independent cities. Virginia’s Drought Monitoring Task Force continued the warning July 31 after reviewing precipitation, streamflow, groundwater, reservoirs, soil moisture, agricultural conditions, water-supply impacts and the U.S. Drought Monitor.
“The recent rain has prevented drought conditions from worsening, although severe drought continues in many parts of Virginia,” the task force said.
The region has received approximately 81 percent of its typical water-year precipitation since Oct. 1, according to Weedon Cloe of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Office of Water Supply. DEQ also reported severe, longer-term precipitation deficits across the state, ranging from 5.3 inches in Norfolk to 9.4 inches in Danville.
Groundwater conditions remain a concern. Four of five Northern Virginia monitoring wells are below the 10th percentile, and the Prince William well is at its lowest recorded level since 2002. Streamflows also remain well below normal.
“We will need sustained, above average precipitation over the coming weeks and months for groundwater in the region to recharge,” Cloe said.
The warning has not translated into a reported shortage of drinking water for Fairfax Water customers. The utility said its current supply is adequate to meet demand and that its systems are operating normally. Approximately 2.2 million people in Northern Virginia depend on Fairfax Water for drinking water.
“Fairfax Water continues to have adequate supply to meet current customer demand, and our systems are operating normally,” Susan Miller of Fairfax Water said.
Officials are nevertheless asking residents to conserve voluntarily, including by reducing outdoor watering and nonessential household water use. Virginia American Water has made the same request to residential customers in Alexandria, which the U.S. Drought Monitor classified as being in moderate drought in its July 21 reading.
Virginia’s drought classification system includes normal, watch, warning and emergency categories. If dry conditions continue, the governor can declare a drought emergency and impose mandatory water-use restrictions on certain users and industries by executive order.
The current conditions follow a period Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger described in June as the state’s driest since 1941, with precipitation about eight inches below average across much of Virginia.
“A significant lack of precipitation has resulted in Virginia recording its driest period since 1941,” Spanberger said.
Residents can help limit demand by cutting back on outdoor watering and other nonessential uses while officials continue monitoring rainfall, groundwater and streamflows.