Drought watch declared
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority has declared an official Drought Watch for the Albemarle/Charlottesville area. A Drought Watch declaration is to increase public awareness that conservation of our drinking water is essential as declining stream and reservoir water levels indicate we may be experiencing an extended drought.
In collaboration with the Albemarle County Service Authority and the Charlottesville Utilities department, public drinking water customers are encouraged to implement voluntary conservation measures including limiting the watering of outside shrubbery, trees, lawns, grass, plants, home vegetable gardens, or any other vegetation to between the hours of 9:00 PM and 10:00 AM, and only as necessary to preserve plant life.
"We currently have an adequate public drinking water supply for our community, as our reservoirs are over 90% full. However, with several months of hot and dry weather ahead of us, we encourage public water users to conserve as much as possible," says RWSA Executive Director Bill Mawyer.
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Tips on Water Conservation are available on www.serviceauthority.org, www.charlottesville.org, and www.rivanna.org.
The City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, and Albemarle County Service Authority are responsible for enacting and enforcing water conservation measures under their respective codes, ordinances, and regulations.
For an overview of RWSA's Drought Response and Contingency Plan and to see current reservoir levels, please visit https://rivannawater.org/drought-monitoring-information/.
Contacts or questions
- Albemarle County Service Authority, 434-977-4511
- City of Charlottesville, Department of Utilities, 434-970-3800
- Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, 434-977-2970
The Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority & Solid Waste Authority’s mission is to serve the Charlottesville, Albemarle, and UVA communities by providing high-quality water and wastewater treatment, refuse, and recycling services in a financially responsible and sustainable manner.
The Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority provides wholesale water and sewer services to the Charlottesville Department of Utilities and Albemarle County Service Authority.
The Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority manages five reservoirs, nine dams, six drinking water treatment plants, five finished water pumping stations, eleven water storage tanks, four advanced water resource recovery facilities (wastewater treatment plants), and nine wastewater pumping stations.
In 2025, the Authority processed an average of 10.25 million gallons of drinking water and 9.47 million gallons of wastewater each day.
