Prolonged periods of drought have environmental, economical and social consequences. Droughts directly affect both the quantity and quality of drinking water supplies.
The Virginia Department of Health, Office of Drinking Water (VDH-ODW) is one of 12 partners monitoring drought conditions and its effects in the Commonwealth of Virginia guided by the Virginia Drought Assessment and Response Plan. These monitoring efforts are led by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) through a group called the Drought Monitoring Task Force (DMTF).
Under the DMTF, the VDH-ODW is responsible for monitoring and reporting the operational status of waterworks as it relates to drought conditions.
ODW’s DMTF Latest Report
As of April 22nd 2024, no waterworks are implementing water use restrictions in Virginia.
VDH-ODW’s Drought Monitoring map and trend are illustrated below. The map reflects the percentage of public water sources operating under drought restrictions within the main river basins of Virginia. The trend shows the amount of waterworks that have been affected by drought conditions since March 2002. Click the illustrations to access the file.
Click here to access the June 2023 Drought Status Report
Other useful links
- DEQ Drought Status, Tools, Other Resources and Full Drought Report
- EPA Tools on Drought Response and Recovery for Water Utilities
- USGS Surface Water real-time stream flows