Loudoun County lifted mandatory water bans Monday after five months of restrictions on watering lawns, washing cars and serving water at restaurants.
The once rain-starved Beaverdam Reservoir at Goose Creek has regained 473 million gallons since a low of 200 million gallons in October in the major water source reserve for eastern Loudoun County.
Recent rains have helped restore the 1.4 billion-gallon reservoir to half-capacity, and customer demand has dropped to 16 million gallons daily, far below the fall’s levels of 30 million gallons per day.
The move allows residents to prepare for the spring planting season, despite lingering concerns over water capacity.
The Loudoun County Sanitation Authority is urging residents to continue to conserve and water grass only twice a week. More restrictions would be necessary if customer demand rises above a spring average of 22 million gallons per day, the authority said Monday.
The authority has started a campaign of $36 million in repairs to improve water distribution throughout the region to better prepare for future droughts.
Authority spokeswoman Samantha Villegas said the water supply has recovered, but prudence still will be mandatory as the reservoir continues to refill.
“Operationally, we are confident we can meet demand without restrictions,” Villegas said. “The rain we received on Saturday was enough to knock us up another notch in confidence in the supply system.”
