Richmond-area water utilities ask residents to cut back as river levels drop

If your lawn’s been looking a little thirsty, you’re about to get some new rules of thumb for when to run the sprinkler. Starting Wednesday, July 1, the City of Richmond and the counties of Chesterfield, Goochland, Hanover, Henrico and Powhatan are asking customers to voluntarily scale back their water use.

The trigger is the James River. Under Richmond’s James River Regional Flow Management Plan, once average flows fall to 1,700 cubic feet per second for 14 straight days, voluntary conservation kicks in. That threshold has now been hit, driven by a stretch of dry weather and thin rainfall west of the city.

Here’s the reassuring part: this isn’t an emergency, and nothing’s wrong with the water coming out of your tap. Officials say the region can still produce and deliver safe drinking water to meet everyday needs and emergency requirements. The ask is simply to ease demand while the river runs low, which helps treatment plants in Richmond, Chesterfield and Henrico keep water flowing to everyone.

For the majority of customers, the practical impact comes down to a lawn watering calendar based on your address. Nobody waters on Mondays. Homes with odd-numbered addresses can water on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Even-numbered addresses get Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

That covers the everyday stuff, but it’s not the full picture. The complete list of conservation measures lives at go.rva.gov/droughtwatch, so it’s worth a look if you’re planning anything beyond keeping the grass green.

The Richmond region draws its water from the James River basin, the biggest watershed in the state. When the areas that feed that basin go dry, local water levels feel it. That’s the situation now, and it’s why a lack of rain hundreds of feet upstream ends up shaping when you can water your yard.

The city and its regional partners will keep an eye on river conditions and reassess lifting the voluntary measures once things improve. In the meantime, officials note that conserving water is a smart habit year-round, not just during a dry spell. The Virginia Department of Health keeps a running list of conservation tips at vdh.virginia.gov/drinking-water/office-of-drinking-water/water-conservation-tips.

Questions about your specific locality can go to your local utility: Chesterfield Customer Service at 804-748-1271, Goochland Public Utilities at 804-556-5835, Hanover Customer Service at 804-365-6024, Henrico Customer Service at 804-501-4275, Powhatan Public Works at 804-598-5764, or the City of Richmond DPU Customer Care at 804-646-4646.