The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors today is set to consider loosening the county’s water restrictions in the wake of last year’s drought.
The changes would exempt government and public infrastructure from restrictions. Under the original 1979 plan, voluntary water restrictions were universally a maximum of 75 gallons per person, per day.
The supervisors also will vote on changes that would allow them to declare specific days of restricted water use to help fight off a drought.
The county’s water plan also would be more closely aligned with that of regional and state water plans, including those of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. For example, Loudoun could declare a watch, rather than an emergency, when water supplies grow scarce, as the Council of Governments does.
“What we found out last year was that it was very restrictive for a wide variety of folks who had just invested in landscape,” said Samantha Villegas, a spokeswoman for Loudoun Water. “It’s an all-or-nothing type of ordinance.”
In October 2007, the Board of Supervisors imposed mandatory water restrictions on residents after voluntary restrictions produced only a 10 percent drop in water use. Residents were not allowed to water their lawns or wash their cars except out of a three-gallon bucket, and restaurants were allowed to serve water only if customers requested it. Violators were fined $500.
“If you’re using a lot of water and you want to keep your grass green, you’re going to have to pay for it,” said Supervisor Eugene Delgaudio, R-Sterling.
On March 11, the county lifted the mandatory restrictions and began encouraging residents to voluntarily conserve water after rains had increased the flow in Goose Creek, helping to significantly raise the water levels in Beaverdam Reservoir.
