Drought Watch Declaration

A drought watch means:

• Conserving water now can help prevent restrictions later.
• Water supplies are under increased stress.
• Voluntary water conservation is requested.
• Mandatory restrictions are not currently in effect.

How does this compare to a drought warning?

Small changes by residents and businesses can make a meaningful difference in protecting our shared water supply.

Outdoors 

• Water lawns, gardens and landscaping only when needed, between 9 p.m. and 10 a.m. to minimize evaporation. 
• Use a watering can or a hose equipped with an automatic shut-off nozzle.
• Delay washing driveways, patios and sidewalks.
• Consider postponing filling pools or other large outdoor water uses if they aren’t essential.

Indoors

• Fix leaking faucets, toilets and irrigation systems.
• Run dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads.
• Take shorter showers when possible.
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth or shaving.

A drought watch is designed to encourage voluntary conservation before conditions worsen. By reducing water use early, our community can help protect reservoir levels and may reduce the need for mandatory restrictions if dry conditions continue.

A drought watch is an early stage of drought response that encourages voluntary water conservation before mandatory restrictions become necessary. It signals that local water supplies are under increased pressure, but mandatory restrictions are not yet necessary. By conserving water now, residents and businesses can help preserve reservoir levels and help reduce the need for more restrictive measures later.

A drought watch remains in effect until water supply conditions improve. While a single rainfall can help, it often takes multiple significant rain events over weeks or months for reservoirs to recover fully. Officials will continue monitoring conditions and provide updates as needed.

A drought watch is a reminder that local water supplies are under increasing pressure, but it is not an emergency. By voluntarily reducing water use now, residents and businesses can help protect reservoir levels and possibly prevent mandatory restrictions later. Small changes across our community today can have a meaningful impact on preserving our water supply.

Yes. A drought watch is designed to encourage small actions before conditions become more severe. When residents and businesses conserve water together, the combined impact can help protect local water supplies and help avoid mandatory restrictions.

If dry conditions persist and water supplies continue to decline, officials may declare a drought warning, which includes mandatory water restrictions.

Yes. During a drought watch, outdoor watering remains voluntary. Customers are encouraged to water responsibly by following the recommended watering hours and using only the amount of water needed to maintain healthy plants.

Despite the recent rainfall we have experienced, the precipitation has remained very localized to isolated parts of our area and has not significantly contributed to reservoir levels. Unfortunately, this lack of overall precipitation continues to push us closer to mandatory water restrictions.

Ragged Mountain is our largest reservoir and is presently over 90% full, and continues to serve the role it was intended to play in the water supply plan. It supplies water to the Observatory Water Treatment Plant. The Observatory Plant is not able to serve the entire Urban Water System alone, and was designed to supplement the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir and Water Treatment Plant. Under normal operations the Urban System (ACSA and City of Charlottesville) is supplied by 80% production from South Fork and 20% production from Observatory. That has been recently shifted as we got into the drought to closer to 60-40%.

Through careful planning and improvements made, our system’s reservoirs have, until very recently, remained 100% full. The RWSA has been closely monitoring reservoir levels, stream flows and operational demands and has observed drops in reservoir levels. We currently have an adequate public drinking water supply for our community as our reservoirs are over 90% full. However, with several months of hot and dry weather ahead of us, we are encouraging public water users to conserve as much as possible.