The state’s Department of Environmental Quality announced the drought watch Tuesday. The area impacted includes the Roanoke and Martinsville regions eastward to Virginia Beach and the Eastern Shore.
The drought watch designation means local governments, public water systems and others should minimize nonessential water use and have stricter water conservation plans ready. The next step would be a drought warning designation.
The state’s Drought Monitoring Task Force and the U. S. Drought Monitor have both noted areas of moderate to severe drought across Virginia’s southern tier.
Precipitation in much of the watch area over the last few months has been less than half of the seasonal average.
Click here to read the announcement from the Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality