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ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Alexandria remains under a drought warning advisory after state regulators downgraded conditions elsewhere in Virginia, the Department of Environmental Quality said Thursday.
The state's Drought Monitoring Task Force eased 15 counties and 10 cities from a warning to a watch — the New River and York-James regions, along with part of the Middle James — citing recent rainfall. The Northern Virginia region, which covers Alexandria along with Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun and Prince William counties and the cities of Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park, stayed at warning.
A warning is the third of four advisory levels the state uses, above a watch and below an emergency. The Roanoke River region remains under a drought emergency.
The warning holds despite heavy rain across the region on Sunday and Monday. DEQ says precipitation is only one of the measures the task force weighs, alongside groundwater levels, reservoir levels, soil moisture and streamflow — and the slower-moving indicators have not caught up.
Rainfall across the commonwealth is running about 7.8 inches below normal, which DEQ describes as the second-driest water year on record. The agency says current conditions resemble the drought that hit Virginia in 2002.
The recent rain has helped by some measures. Precipitation over the past 30 days was above normal across much of northern Virginia, with totals of 6 to 10 inches in some areas, soil moisture has improved to near normal in much of the state, and streamflow improved markedly over the past week.
Groundwater is the lagging indicator. Levels continue their seasonal decline statewide, and DEQ said monitoring wells in Prince William County — along with Clarke, Patrick and Bedford counties — are at or near record lows. Reservoirs are within normal ranges everywhere except Smith Mountain Lake and the John Kerr Reservoir.
Gov. Abigail Spanberger is encouraging Virginians to conserve water. DEQ recommends cutting non-essential use: watering lawns and gardens on alternating days and only between dusk and dawn, shutting off ornamental fountains, limiting car and driveway washing, and holding off on filling pools.
Restrictions in Alexandria remain voluntary. If conditions worsen, the governor can issue an executive order imposing mandatory limits on businesses, public waterworks and households.
The task force is scheduled to meet again next week.
