FYI: Virginia Voluntary Water Conservation

COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
Office of the Governor
Timothy M. Kaine

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 30, 2007

GOVERNOR KAINE ENCOURAGES VOLUNTARY WATER CONSERVATION AND CALLS ON LOCALITIES TO UPDATE DROUGHT CONTINGENCY PLANS
~Warns that drought conditions could become acute in the spring of 2008 if lack of rain continues ~

RICHMOND – Governor Timothy M. Kaine today urged localities to update water conservation and drought contingency ordinances and plans and begin preparations to implement those plans. The Governor also encouraged citizens and businesses to strictly follow all calls for water conservation issued by public waterworks or local governments.

In areas where local water conservation requirements have not been initiated, citizens and businesses should voluntarily conserve water to the greatest extent possible. This includes minimizing non-essential outdoor water uses such as irrigation and vehicle washing as well as reductions in indoor water uses.

“Assure that there are no water leaks in your home; limit showers to periods of less than 5 minutes; turn off the water when you brush your teeth; and only operate dishwashers and clothes washers with full loads,” Governor Kaine said. “These simple actions when performed by millions of citizens throughout the Commonwealth can result in a significant reduction in the stresses placed on our water resources.”

The entire Commonwealth is currently experiencing significant drought, which intensified in the six weeks preceding last week’s welcomed wide-spread rainfall. While last week’s rain addressed many short term drought impacts, the underlying long term precipitation deficit remains.

Fortunately, the Commonwealth is approaching the time of year when water demands will diminish greatly. With the end of the active growing season, the water needs of actively growing plants will be virtually eliminated and human demands for most non-essential outdoor water uses will cease. If, however, weather predictions of a dry winter materialize, Virginia is poised to experience significant drought with the onset of the growing season in the spring of 2008. The long range weather outlook calls for the potential for above normal temperatures and below normal rainfall through January 2008. While it is unlikely that serious water shortages will occur prior to the spring of 2008, it is essential to prepare for the potential for serious water supply impacts in the coming months.

All local governments should review existing local ordinances requiring mandatory non-essential water use restrictions at this time. Any locality that has not adopted such ordinances should consider doing so now. All local ordinances should be consistent with the mandatory non-essential water use restrictions contained in the Virginia Drought Assessment and Response Plan. It is likely that these ordinances will be required in the spring of 2008.

“The best drought responses are those that take into account the individual nature of water supplies and the users of those resources, and these must be developed at the local water system level,” said Governor Kaine. “We must use the window of opportunity that we have between now and the spring of 2008 to develop the best local response plans that we can. I applaud the efforts of the 55 water suppliers in the Commonwealth who have implemented existing water conservation plans to address the impact of the current drought on their systems.”

The Governor is also directing all executive branch agencies and institutions to review existing drought water conservation and contingency plans or develop new plans and eliminate all non-essential water uses at this time. The elimination of non-essential water uses must be consistent with the requirements contained in the Virginia Drought Assessment and Response Plan.

Today’s actions are in addition to those the Governor has already taken to address specific drought impacts on farmers and forest lands. As the result of Governor Kaine’s request that the US Secretary of Agriculture declare the entire Commonwealth an agricultural drought disaster area, all Virginia localities are now eligible for federal disaster assistance to address agricultural drought impacts. On October 18, the Governor issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency in the Commonwealth that includes a ban on all outdoor burning. The most immediate danger related to the drought is the potential for a significant fall wildfire season.

“I ask that all citizens be vigilant in controlling potential sources of wildfires,” said Governor Kaine. “This includes being mindful of parking vehicles in proximity to fuel sources such as dried grass as well as avoiding all outdoor burning. While the recent widespread rainfall has provided some temporary reduction in wildfire potential, this relief will rapidly dissipate without additional periodic rainfall. The current ban on all outdoor burning will remain in place until further notice.”

For water conservation tips, visit: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/waterresources/waterconservation.html

The October Drought Monitoring Task Force report is available at: http://www.deq.state.va.us/waterresources/drought.php#DroughtStatusReports.

The Virginia Drought Assessment and Response Plan can be found at: http://www.deq.virginia.gov/waterresources/pdf/droughtresponseplan.pdf.