ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS

DEQ Public Affairs Office, 629 East Main St., Richmond, Va. 23219
www.deq.virginia.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Bill Hayden
October 10, 2012 (804) 698-4447
william.hayden@deq.virginia.gov

CONDITIONS IN APPOMATTOX RIVER BASIN
LEAD TO DOWNGRADING OF DROUGHT STATUS

‘Drought watch’ lifted for northern Piedmont region;

‘Drought watch’ status remains for Roanoke River region

RICHMOND, VA. – The Department of Environmental Quality has downgraded its advisory for the Appomattox River basin in south-central Virginia to a “drought watch” status and lifted the previously declared “drought watch” advisory for the northern Piedmont region.  A “drought watch” advisory remains in effect for the Roanoke River region.

Drought watch for Appomattox basin
The affected localities and public water suppliers for the Appomattox basin drought watch include Amelia, Appomattox, Buckingham, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Dinwiddie, Nottoway, Powhatan, Prince Edward and Prince George counties; the cities of Colonial Heights, Hopewell and Petersburg; and the towns of Appomattox, Blackstone, Burkeville, Crewe and Farmville.
DEQ is sending notifications to local governments, public water works and private-sector water users in the affected area. Localities, public water suppliers and self-supplied water users in the Appomattox basin are encouraged to continue to voluntarily take these steps to help protect current water supplies:

· Minimize nonessential water use.
· Review existing or develop new local water conservation and drought contingency plans and take conservation actions consistent with those plans.
· Include water conservation information on local websites and distribute water conservation information as broadly as possible.
· Continue monitoring the condition of public waterworks and self-supplied water systems in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health.
· Impose water use restrictions when consistent with local water supply conditions.
· Aggressively pursue leak detection and repair programs.

The drought status has been changed to a drought watch advisory because indicators in the state’s Drought Assessment and Response Plan have improved. According to the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force, a group representing state and federal agencies, the primary factors contributing to the change are:

· Stream flow has improved from less than 95 percent of recorded flows in the area, indicating a severe hydrologic drought, to levels between 90 percent and 75 percent less than recorded flows.
· Ground water levels remain less than 75 percent to 90 percent of previously recorded levels.
· Levels at Lake Chesdin have stabilized at approximately 28 inches below full pool.
· Eight public water supplies continue to have either mandatory or voluntary water use restrictions.
· Temperatures are expected to drop significantly during the next month.

Removal of drought watch for northern Piedmont region
DEQ also has removed the “drought watch” advisory for the northern Piedmont region, which includes Greene, Madison, Rappahannock, Orange, Culpeper, Louisa, Spotsylvania and Stafford counties; the city of Fredericksburg; and the towns of Culpeper, Gordonsville, Louisa, Mineral, Madison, Orange, Stanardsville and Washington. Specific factors contributing to this change are:

· Rainfall amounts have returned to greater than 85 percent of normal totals in the past year, and the headwaters portion of the region has received more than 90 percent of normal precipitation in the past 90 days.
· Stream flows have returned to levels consistently greater than 25 percent of historic flows, representing normal conditions.
· Temperatures are expected to drop significantly during the next month.
Continuing drought watch for Roanoke River region
DEQ has continued the drought watch advisory for the Roanoke River region that includes Patrick, Franklin, Roanoke, Henry, Bedford, Pittsylvania, Campbell, Halifax, Charlotte, and Mecklenburg counties; 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, Brodnax, Chase City, Clarksville, La Crosse, Sout h Hill, Stuart, Chatham, Gretna, Hurt and Vinton.
Specific factors contributing to the continuance of this advisory are:

· Rainfall patterns have continued to produce less than 75 percent of normal rainfall over much of the region, particularly the headwaters, for more than 90 days.
· Stream flows have continually been 75 percent less than historic flows.
· Ground water levels have been 90 percent below historic levels for most of the past 90 days.
Through the drought watch advisory, Virginia is encouraging localities, public water suppliers and self-supplied water users in these localities to voluntarily take these steps to help protect current water supplies:

· Minimize nonessential water use.
· Review existing or develop new local water conservation and drought contingency plans and take conservation actions consistent with those plans.
· Include water conservation information on local websites and distribute water conservation information as broadly as possible.
· Continue monitoring the condition of public waterworks and self-supplied water systems in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health.
· Impose water use restrictions when consistent with local water supply conditions.
· Aggressively pursue leak detection and repair programs.
Statewide information on the current drought status is available on the DEQ website at www.deq.virginia.gov.