Henrico County is closely monitoring the James River water levels, along with the City of Richmond and Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover and Powhatan counties. The recent dry weather and lack of significant rainfall in the area are likely to lead to a request for voluntary water conservation in the metro Richmond area, according to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.
If river levels and flows in the James don’t improve, the region will reach the stage for voluntary conservation measures on Wednesday, July 1. At that time, an advisory will be issued asking all water customers in Henrico and the surrounding localities to voluntarily reduce water usage.
Water conservation should be an everyday practice for all residents and businesses. Some ways to conserve include:
- Shortening showers
- Running only full loads of dishes and laundry
- Turning off the faucet when brushing your teeth or shaving
- Disabling automatic sprinklers for lawn watering
More tips can be found at on the Virginia Department of Health website.
Henrico has been releasing water stored at the Virgil R. Hazelett Reservoir at Cobbs Creek into the James River since June 1 to assist with water flows, and will continue to do so.