DEQ lifts drought advisories for Culpeper, most of state

Statewide drought conditions have eased with recent rains from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, the state agency said in a statement Friday.

A drought warning is still in effect for the Shenandoah region, and a drought watch remains in the Big Sandy area.

Local drought watches or warnings were lifted on August 16 for Charlottesville, Culpeper, Greene, Louisa, Madison, Orange, Rappahannock, Spotsylvania, Stafford and Northern Virginia.

Parts of Virginia received more than 8 inches of rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby, and storage at major water supply reservoirs has recovered and is all within normal limits, according to the DEQ.

City of Culpeper Public Services Director Jim Hoy said Friday that reservoirs at Mountain Run Lake and Lake Culpeper have both returned to normal levels after Debby. Culpeper Lake was 2.5 inches above the spillway, he added.

Streamflow over the past 7-28 days, in addition, has shown improvement in most communities due to recent rainfall. Water flows remain below the 25th percentile in portions of the Big Sandy Drought Assessment Region, the release said.

Groundwater levels for monitoring wells in the Climate Response Network remain below normal and require additional rainfall to recover.

DEQ said it is working with local governments, water utilities and water users in affected areas to ensure conservation and drought response plans and ordinances are followed. Virginians are encouraged to protect water sources by minimizing usage, monitoring drought conditions and detecting and repairing leaks, the agency said.

The Culpeper County Board of Supervisors on Aug. 6 approved a resolution asking the state to designate an agricultural disaster zone for local farmers affected by the extended drought. The declaration will qualify farms for aid.

More than 600 farms in the county were affected by the drought, which began in June. Senior extension agent Carl Stafford told the board last week that April was also recorded as “very dry” but it was “pretty wet” in May.

Local farmers reported losses of 30 percent of row crops such as corn and soybeans, 40 percent of pasture land and 20 percent of hay, according to Stafford.