MATOACA – the Appomattox River Water Authority said Friday the water level at Lake Chesdin has fallen to a level that requires immediate emergency restrictions on water use.
“The water level in the reservoir has reached 125 days of storage, which is the trigger level for Phase III emergency water restrictions on users of the ARWA water supply,” the Matoaca-based agency said in an alert sent out Friday afternoon.
The restrictions apply to residents of the localities that receive their water supply from ARWA. the water authority supplies half of Chesterfield County’s water, all of Colonial Heights and Petersburg, and portions of Dinwiddie County and Prince George County. Hopewell, which receives its water from Virginia American Water Co., is not affected.
While it will be up to each locality to decide what specific restrictions it will adopt, the recommended measures include:
- No washing of paved areas except for immediate health and safety requirements.
- No filling or replenishing of swimming pools except at health care facilities.
- No vehicle washing, including commercial washing.
- No watering of lawns, gardens, trees or shrubs.
- No watering of golf courses.
- Restaurants will not serve water to patrons except as their main beverage.
Several localities, including Colonial Heights, Dinwiddie and Petersburg, plan to advertise the details of their planned restrictions in the Progress-Index over the weekend. Some had already posted notices Friday afternoon on their Web sites.
Because Petersburg City Council passed an enabling resolution at its meeting last Tuesday, the city’s emergency measures went into effect immediately on Friday. the tighter restrictions will go into effect in most localities on Monday. however, the existing mandatory restrictions will continue to be enforced in the meantime.
Violations are punishable by fines that range from $50 to $200, depending on locality, for a first offense and go up as high as $1,600 in Chesterfield for a fourth or subsequent offense. the fines will be added to violators’ water bills. Residents are asked to call their local police or utility department to report violations.
“People really need to understand the seriousness of this,” said Joanne Williams, a spokeswoman for the city of Petersburg. “They need to use common-sense measures to reduce water use.”
The lake’s dramatic drop to record lows – 135 inches, or more than 11 feet, below the top of the George F. Brasfield Dam as of Friday afternoon – is largely a result of a drought this year that the National Weather Service has rated “extreme.”
The only rain recorded so far in September at the National Weather Service’s Petersburg reporting station (located at the Dinwiddie County Airport) was a tiny 0.1 inch reading on the morning of Sept. 12.
A little relief may be ahead. the weather service on Friday afternoon was offering odds of 40 percent for some rain on Sunday, rising to a 60 percent chance by Monday night.
However, all observers agree that a lot more rain will be needed to make up the region’s moisture deficit – rainfall has been about 10 inches below normal for the year to date – and in the meantime it’s essential to cut water usage.
One measure taken to stop the lake level from falling is already having an impact downstream. normally, ARWA is required to release 125 million gallons a day into the lower Appomattox River to maintain the stream’s environmental health. because of the emergency, and with the help of Del. Rosalyn R. Dance (D-63rd), the state Department of Environmental Quality gave the water authority permission to cut the outflow in half.
Based on measurements taken near the Matoaca bridge, the flow of the Appomattox River dropped on Friday to 53 cubic feet per second from 69 on Thursday. a week ago, the volume of water flowing in the river was around 150 cubic feet per second.
Scott Kudlas, director of the department’s Office of Surface and Groundwater Supply planning, said DEQ has had “ongoing conversations with the water authority” about possibly cutting the outflow from the lake further. however, he said, “We would not be in a position to allow them to shut it off completely.”
- Michael Buettner may be reached at 722-5155 or mbuettner@progress-index.com.
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