Henrico County now under drought watch

Henrico County is among 61 counties and 18 cities in Virginia now under a drought watch, following action by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality. The DEQ, in coordination with the Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force, also issued a drought warning advisory for 22 counties and 13 cities. 

Only 12 counties and 7 cities are not currently under drought watch or warning advisories.

A drought watch advisory is intended to help residents prepare for a potential drought.  In addition to Henrico, other localities in the Middle James region of the state also are covered by the advisory, including Albemarle, Amelia, Amherst, Appomattox, Buckingham, Chesterfield, Cumberland, Fluvanna, Goochland, Hanover, Nelson, Powhatan, and Prince Edward counties and the cities of Charlottesville, Colonial Heights, Hopewell, Lynchburg, Petersburg, and Richmond.

Continued precipitation deficits have resulted in further declines and sustained much-below normal streamflow, groundwater, and soil moisture levels throughout most of the state, especially in the Piedmont and Blue Ridge regions, according to DEQ officials.

DEQ is working with local governments, public water works, and water users in the affected areas to ensure that conservation and drought response plans and ordinances are followed.

See the current drought status on the DEQ website.