Drought Expands

All of the Potomac watershed is currently in drought. The U.S. Drought Monitor Map released last Thursday shows shows 88.8% of the Potomac Basin in Severe Drought and  11.2% in Moderate Drought. The current conditions have triggered the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) to issue a drought warning advisory for 22 counties and 13 cities, and expanded the drought watch advisory to now include 61 counties and 18 cities in Virginia.  For now, the Potomac River’s flows are adequate to meet the water demands of the Washington metropolitan area, but are well below normal for this time of year.

A drought warning advisory is intended to increase awareness that the onset of a significant drought event is imminent and includes the following areas:

• Northern Virginia: Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William counties and the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas, and Manassas Park. 
• Roanoke River: Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Patrick, Pittsylvania, and Roanoke counties and the cities of Danville, Martinsville, Roanoke, and Salem. 
• Shenandoah: Augusta, Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties and the cities of Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, and Winchester.  

 Here in Prince William County Virginia rainfall averages approximately 44 inches per year, but varies from year to year. Last year we were about 9 inches short of average and in the first 4 months of this water year we have had about half the usual amount of rainfall.  Climate forecasts are for our region to get wetter with more intense rainstorms and droughts to get more severe. (ICPRB).

This precipitation deficit continues and has resulted in further declines and sustained much-below normal streamflow, groundwater, and soil moisture levels throughout most of the Commonwealth, especially in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge regions. Reservoir levels remain largely normal, except for Smith Mountain Lake, which is 0.26 feet below Warning level (791.5 ft) and Lake Moomaw, which is currently 1.48 feet below the watch threshold.

from DEQ

DEQ is working with local governments, public water works, and water users in the affected areas to ensure that conservation and drought response plans and ordinances are followed. Be alert for drought response notifications. Though, at least we do not have to worry about people water their lawns and plants and using more water when they should be conserving (which happened two summers ago).