Richmond, Counties Set to Announce Voluntary Water Conservation

As a result of the current water levels in the James River, the city of Richmond, along with the counties of Henrico, Hanover and Goochland are in the Ready Alert stage of announcing water conservation measures. Voluntary conservation measures are expected to be announced on Friday, August 12.

Chesterfield County, whose water management plan is governed in part by the Appomattox Water Authority, entered voluntary conservation today. For the other counties, low water levels in the James River necessitate the issuance of voluntary compliance measures to assist local governments in providing water to all customers in the region, while also meeting the requirements of the James River Regional Flow Management Plan. This plan calls for the implementation of voluntary conservation measures once water levels in the James River reach Natural River Flow (NRF) 14-day rolling average of 1,200 cfs (cubic feet per second) or approximately 3.4 feet of depth at the Richmond-Westham Gauge.

During implementation of water conservation measures, city of Richmond customers may also see a conservation rate surcharge on their utility bills if their water use exceeds 140 percent of their normal winter water usage. DPU’s water conservation rate went into effect July 1, 2008. The higher commodity rate will be charged on their excess usage. This is to encourage conservation-friendly behavior.

Significant rainfall may eliminate the current low water level conditions, allowing these voluntary water conservation measures to be lifted. Henrico County DPU customers will be allowed to water their lawns refurbished through motorized means for 30 days if the refurbishment occurs between September 1 and October 31.

For additional information, specific to localities, contact:
County of Chesterfield Customer Service 748-1291
County of Goochland Public Utilities 556-5835
County of Hanover Public Utilities 365-6024
County of Henrico Customer Service 501-4275
City of Richmond Customer Care Center 644-3000

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