Although recent rainfall has raised the level of water in the local reservoir, officials say Virginia's drought is not over and water conservation efforts must continue.
The Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority announced last Monday that the local South Fork Rivanna Reservoir is at 91 percent capacity, a large increase from 68.2 percent last November.
J.W. "Bill" Brent, Albemarle County service authority director, said he urges citizens to continue conserving water.
"The drought is not over by any means," Brent said. "We can't become complacent and resort to our old habits."
The local drought may be over, but Virginia still is in a state of drought.
The University cut its water use by 8 percent this fiscal year and hopes to use 10 percent less water in the coming months.
Efforts to reduce water consumption include plans to install bathroom faucet aerators that reduce water flow, high-efficiency washing machines and water conserving toilets around Grounds.
"These technologies are fairly new so we don't have any of them installed yet," said Cheryl Gomez, University director of facilities management. "We'll probably start with some test locations to determine how effective they are, then move into doing more with them if they can get the job done while saving water."
Although the local drought is over, the "Ten-4-Ten" campaign, overseen by Charlottesville Public Utilities and other water-related agencies, will continue.
The "Ten-4-Ten" program began in February and offers citizens 10 tips to cut water consumption by 10 percent, such as turning off the water while brushing their teeth or shaving.
Brent said it is too early to tell if the program is having any effect, but citizens should continue conservation efforts.
While the reservoir capacity is a good indicator of surface moisture, state climatologist Patrick Michaels said a long-term moisture shortage means Virginia still is in a drought.
"In this region, we're seeing increasing reports of private wells going dry," Michaels said. "That reflects the fact that we've been below average in rainfall for several years."
Michaels added that Virginia may require a year or more of normal rainfall levels to recover from the drought, which is the region's worst in 70 years.
"It seems fairly likely that the summer rainfall, which is primarily scattered thunderstorms, will be insufficient to make up for the shortages everywhere," Michaels said.
Gomez said she encourages University students and faculty to conserve water by making small lifestyle changes such as adding sprayers to the end of hoses before home car washes, washing only full loads of clothes and dishes and not waiting for water to heat up before washing hands.
Gomez also said scheduling to avoid multiple showers per day can decrease water use.
"Shorten the length of showers after working out, or better yet, time the workout or shower so that you only need one shower that day," Gomez said.
RWSA, which oversees the area's reservoirs, will hold a public hearing in early May to address long-term community water needs.
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