Mandatory water restrictions imposed
By Jason Jacks
The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Oct. 2 imposing mandatory water restrictions on residents served by Loudoun's largest water supplier, the Loudoun County Sanitation Authority. Restrictions go into effect immediately, but enforcement will not begin until Oct. 9.
"We need to start taking measures now," LCSA General Manager Dale Hammes told supervisors Tuesday, adding that rain amounts for the year at Washington Dulles International Airport are 13 inches below normal.
Because of the board's action, LCSA customers, most of whom live in eastern Loudoun, are only allowed to water lawns and wash cars, driveways and the exterior of their homes from a container that holds no more than three gallons of water. However, in the case of lawns, the restriction does not apply to customers who laid grass or sod or planted other vegetation after Sept. 1, LCSA officials said.
What's more, restaurants are not permitted to serve water unless it is requested and ornamental fountains served by LCSA have to be turned off. Customers are also not allowed to fill their swimming or wading pools until the restrictions are lifted, which is "until further notice," said LCSA spokeswoman Samantha Villegas.
Failure to follow these restrictions could result in a $500 fine for each incident. The Sheriff's Office has been asked, though, to give out warnings for first offenses.
The goal of the mandatory restrictions, last imposed in Loudoun in 1999, is to limit water usage to no more than 75 gallons a day per person, according to the county ordinance that governs water restrictions. Currently, LCSA said each of its customers now uses 113 gallons each day on average.
The resolution, unanimously approved by the board, also declared a water shortage emergency in Loudoun because of critically low water levels in Beaverdam reservoir, one of LCSA's water sources. Hammes said the water flow in Beaverdam is 80 percent below normal. "It's almost dry," he later said.
The vast majority of LCSA's 50,000 customers live east of U.S. 15. In early August, to get the word out on the need to conserve water, LCSA held a brownest lawn contest won by a resident of Broadlands. Since then, LCSA officials said water usage has dropped 10 percent.
In related news, in response to dry conditions statewide, Gov. Tim Kaine (D) announced Oct. 1 that he has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to declare Virginia a drought disaster area, making farmers across the state eligible for federal low-interest loans. If approved, the designation would be a first for the state.
In September, the Department of Agriculture approved a similar request from Kaine to declare Loudoun a drought disaster area.
Contact the reporter at jjacks@timespapers.com