Comments: Would mining companies be subject to water restrictions? Lingering question #368, wonder how the nuke plants in Va doing with water being so warm and low?
Drought Warning Issued on August 14, 2012, by Va. DEQ for Appomattox River Basin; Drought Watch for northern Piedmont and Roanoke River Basin
On August 14, 2012, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued a “drought warning” advisory for the Appomattox Basin, including the following localities: the counties of Amelia, Appomattox, Buckingham, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Nottoway, Powhatan, Prince Edward, and Prince George; the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell, and Petersburg; and the towns of Appomattox, Blackstone, Burkeville, Crewe, and Farmville.
The DEQ had issued a drought “watch” for the basin on July 26.
Also on August 14, the DEQ issued a drought watch advisory for the northern Piedmont and the Roanoke River basin.
The Piedmont localities include the counties of Greene, Madison, Rappahannock, Orange, Culpeper, Louisa, Spotsylvania and Stafford; the city of Fredericksburg; and the towns of Culpeper, Gordonsville, Louisa, Mineral, Madison, Orange, Stanardsville, and Washington.
The Roanoke basin localities include the counties of Patrick, Franklin, Roanoke, Henry, Bedford, Pittsylvania, Campbell, Halifax, Charlotte, and Mecklenburg; the cities of Bedford, Danville, Martinsville, Salem, and Roanoke; and the towns of Altavista, Brookneal, Charlotte Court House, Drakes Branch, Keysville, Phenix, Boones Mill, Rocky Mount, Halifax, Scottsburg, South Boston, Virgilina, Ridgeway, Boydton, Broadnax, Chase City, Clarksville, La Crosse, South Hill, Stuart, Chatham, Gretna, Hurt, and Vinton.
According to the DEQ, “drought warning responses are required when the onset of a significant drought event is imminent. Water conservation and contingency plans that were prepared during the drought watch stage should be implemented.
Water conservation activities at this stage generally are voluntary, but this does not preclude localities issuing mandatory restrictions if appropriate.” A drought watch advisory is issued to “increase awareness of conditions that are likely to precede a significant drought event and to facilitate preparation for a drought.”
The DEQ’s drought-monitoring Web page is at http://www.deq.virginia.gov/Programs/Water/WaterSupplyWaterQuantity/Drought.aspx.
Sources: Virginia issues ‘drought watch’ advisory for Appomattox River basin, Virginia DEQ News Release, 7/26/12; and Conditions in Appomattox River basin lead to ‘drought warning’ status, Virginia DEQ News Release, 8/14/12
Water restrictions to be imposed for parts of Richmond,
Tri-Cities
(http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2012/aug/16/water-restrictions-to-be-imposed-for-parts-of-rich-ar-2137071/)
Five area localities face mandatory water restrictions
PETERSBURG, Va. --
Once again, mandatory water restrictions will be imposed on the five
jurisdictions supplied by the Appomattox River Water Authority.
The authority voted Thursday to require the restrictions beginning next Thursday.
The restrictions are prompted by scarce rainfall, low groundwater levels and falling water levels at Lake Chesdin, the authority's 3,100-acre reservoir on the Chesterfield-Dinwiddie county line, said ARWA Executive Director Robert C. Wichser.
"Since October, we are down in precipitation 10 to 12 inches," he said Friday. "The groundwater levels have dropped 70-75 percent."
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2012/aug/18/tdmet01-five-area-localities-face-mandatory-water--ar-2139017/?referer=http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftimesdispatch.com%2Far%2F2139017%2F&h=6AQHq09NG&s=1&shorturl=http://bit.ly/PkOHxT
VIRGINIA DROUGHT MONITORING TASK FORCE
Drought Status Report August 13, 2012
Relatively low rainfall and extreme heat conditions continued across Virginia throughout July. The National Weather Service’s Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Services (AHPS) web pages showing departures from normal rainfall over the past 30, 60 and 90 days
http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/news/pdf/drought-taskforce.pdf
The authority voted Thursday to require the restrictions beginning next Thursday.
The restrictions are prompted by scarce rainfall, low groundwater levels and falling water levels at Lake Chesdin, the authority's 3,100-acre reservoir on the Chesterfield-Dinwiddie county line, said ARWA Executive Director Robert C. Wichser.
"Since October, we are down in precipitation 10 to 12 inches," he said Friday. "The groundwater levels have dropped 70-75 percent."
http://www2.timesdispatch.com/news/2012/aug/18/tdmet01-five-area-localities-face-mandatory-water--ar-2139017/?referer=http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftimesdispatch.com%2Far%2F2139017%2F&h=6AQHq09NG&s=1&shorturl=http://bit.ly/PkOHxT
Drought Status Report August 13, 2012
Relatively low rainfall and extreme heat conditions continued across Virginia throughout July. The National Weather Service’s Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Services (AHPS) web pages showing departures from normal rainfall over the past 30, 60 and 90 days
http://www.vdacs.virginia.gov/news/pdf/drought-taskforce.pdf
