Experts, Kaine urge all Virginia residents to use water more wisely

By Sarah Arkin

Published: June 3, 2008

By REX SPRINGSTON
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
• A deep thirst

Virginians must stop taking water for granted, experts said yesterday.

Population growth, drought and climate change can stress future water supplies, according to people attending a water-use forum in Richmond.

“There is starting to be a broader recognition that water is not an inexhaustible resource,“ said Terry Wagner, chairman of Virginia’s drought-monitoring task force.

“That doesn’t mean we are all going to dry up and blow away, but we need to change the way we use water,“ Wagner said.

The three-hour Governor’s Forum on Water Conservation and Drought drew about 75 people, many from state and local governments and from business. The forum was held at the Library of Virginia.

Opening the session, Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said businesses, governments and everyday people need to use water more wisely.

Elaborating outside the meeting room, Kaine indicated that drought is never far away in Virginia.

“While we might be OK because we had some good rain the last couple of months . . . it can turn around on you quick.“

A severe drought hit Virginia from 1999 to 2002, causing some water systems to nearly run out of water and making more than 6,000 wells go dry.

A less-severe drought hit last summer and fall, hurting farmers and causing many localities to limit water use. Virtually all those restrictions have been dropped.

But Wagner said it’s likely parts of Virginia will suffer drought again this summer as spotty rains hit some places and miss others.

Audience member Dale F. Jones, a retired state water official, said Virginia has enough water if localities build enough reservoirs.

“Virginia is a water-rich state, and we have used very little of our water resources,“ Jones said.

Another audience member, Tyla Matteson, a member of the Virginia chapter of the Sierra Club, said climate change could hurt localities’ ability to provide water. Many experts say climate change could cause more droughts.

Expanding water systems would mean using more electricity, which would create emissions that further contribute to climate change, Matteson said.

She suggested water-saving measures such as planting native grasses, which require little watering.

The state is requiring localities to prepare water-supply plans to show how they will cope with population growth and drought in coming years.

Some experts say Virginia has plenty of water but not always in places where it will be needed.
Contact Rex Springston at (804) 649-6453 or .