STUART — The town of Stuart is asking customers to voluntarily conserve water as persistent drought continues to strain groundwater, streams and reservoirs across Southside Virginia.
The town issued the voluntary conservation request Monday, adding Stuart to the local governments that have asked residents to reduce water use during a drought that has persisted despite periods of rainfall this summer.
Stuart’s primary drinking-water source is the South Mayo River. The town also has supplemental wells and water storage facilities, according to town information.
The request comes as Patrick County, Henry County and the city of Martinsville remain in the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Roanoke River drought evaluation region, which continues under a drought emergency advisory, the highest of the state’s drought advisory levels.
The emergency region also includes Bedford, Campbell, Charlotte, Franklin, Halifax, Mecklenburg, Pittsylvania and Roanoke counties and the cities of Danville, Roanoke and Salem. DEQ maintained the designation in its most recent formal drought update Aug. 27.
Conditions have been particularly concerning in Patrick County. DEQ reported that drought-monitoring wells in Patrick, Rockbridge and southern Prince William counties were at or near record-low levels. Parts of the Roanoke River basin also continued to have much-below-normal streamflow, while Smith Mountain Lake and John H. Kerr Reservoir remained well below normal for the time of year.
The problem is not simply a lack of recent rain. DEQ says the Roanoke drought region has received only about 57% of the rainfall normally expected for this point in the year. Across Virginia, rainfall has averaged about 7.8 inches below normal, making this the state’s second-driest water year on record. Soil moisture, streamflow and groundwater remain below normal in the Roanoke region.
DEQ said precipitation over a recent 30-day period was only 50% to 75% of normal from the Staunton area through Lynchburg and Danville and eastward into other portions of Southside and eastern Virginia. Longer-term, 180-day rainfall deficits have been centered in central and south-central Virginia.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor, based on conditions through Sept. 8, paints a somewhat less severe picture of portions of the immediate area but still shows widespread drought. Stuart, Patrick Springs, Martinsville and Stanleytown were classified in moderate drought, while Ridgeway was in severe drought.
The state and federal classifications measure drought differently. Virginia’s drought emergency designation considers regional water-supply indicators including rainfall, groundwater, streamflow and reservoir levels, while the U.S. Drought Monitor uses its D0-through-D4 scale to assess broad drought conditions.
Statewide, about 33% of Virginia was experiencing moderate drought or worse as of Sept. 8, including about 10% in severe drought and 3.6% in extreme drought. Another 38% of the state was considered abnormally dry.
Conservation requests vary locally
Martinsville Water Resources issued its own voluntary conservation request July 14, asking customers to use water wisely because of what officials then described as extreme regional drought conditions.
The city said Beaver Creek Reservoir was being closely monitored and encouraged measures such as repairing leaks, taking shorter showers, running full loads of laundry and dishes, limiting lawn watering and avoiding unnecessary vehicle washing.
That notice was archived by the city Aug. 15, and Martinsville’s website currently lists no active public alerts. The city has not posted a separate notice saying whether the earlier conservation request was formally rescinded.
Some Henry County Public Service Authority customers receive water originating from Martinsville’s system, including water drawn under normal conditions from Beaver Creek Reservoir.
As of Tuesday, Henry County’s public alert page did not list a drought-related conservation request; its only posted PSA alert concerned changes in payment options.
Conditions elsewhere in Southside demonstrate how serious the drought has become. Last week, the Halifax County Service Authority prohibited permitted bulk-water haulers from withdrawing water from its systems while continuing to urge customers to conserve.
Little immediate relief
The short-term weather outlook offers no guarantee of significant drought relief.
The National Weather Service in Blacksburg expects dry conditions to continue. Forecasters have not indicated a widespread soaking rain that would quickly erase the accumulated deficit.
DEQ has cautioned that isolated or short-lived rainfall is not enough to end a hydrologic drought. Sustained above-normal precipitation is needed to replenish groundwater and restore streamflow after months of deficits.
For Stuart, the latest conservation request means residents are being asked to help stretch available supplies before conditions force more aggressive measures.
And although drought severity varies across the Martinsville-Henry County-Patrick County area, state monitoring shows the larger Roanoke River region remains one of Virginia’s most drought-stressed areas heading into fall.
