FR is under voluntary water conservation

front royal town hall

The Town of Front Royal is asking residents to voluntarily conserve water as river levels continue to drop.

Town officials say the flow of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River fell below 400 cubic feet per second on August 5th.

That’s about 260 million gallons of water per day.

The reduced flow triggers conservation measures under the Town’s water withdrawal permit from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

Residents are being asked to limit outdoor water use.

That includes watering lawns, plants and trees only before nine a.m. or after four p.m.

Car washing should be limited to once a week, unless using a commercial car wash.

Residents are also asked to limit washing driveways and other paved surfaces, reduce the use of ornamental fountains, and avoid filling swimming pools unless simply topping them off.

Restaurants are asked to serve drinking water only when customers request it.

Officials also recommend the following conservation efforts:

  • Running dishwashers and washing machines only when they’re full.
  • Taking shorter showers.
  • Turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth or shaving.
  • Fixing leaking or inefficient water fixtures.

Residents can call the Town’s Water Treatment Plant at 540-636-7474 with questions and should monitor local media for future updates.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Strasburg imposes voluntary water conservation as VDEQ declares drought watch

cares act distribution

The town of Strasburg implements a voluntary drought watch conservation effort as the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) reports a drought watch.

All residents and businesses in much of Virginia are encouraged to begin voluntary water conservation both indoors and out.

The VDEQ reports by email a drought watch advisories for 28 counties of Virginia.

A drought watch advisory will help Virginians prepare for a potential drought.

Counties involved include Augusta, Clarke, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Page, Prince William, Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren.

Streamflow and groundwater levels have fallen significantly due to the recent dry conditions.

All Virginians are encouraged to protect water supplies by minimizing water usage and monitor drought conditions.

Weather forecast show little significant rainfall for the foreseeable future coupled with above normal temperatures to complicate the situation.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Christendom issues statement on DEQ notice

Christendom College shared an official statement following the recent concerns and questions raised around the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality notice sent last year.

In the statement, Christendom said they responded to the notice and now meet all obligations outlined by the Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit.

In an accompanying FAQ sheet, Christendom noted that the school had no knowledge of the incident which led to the lack of notification to the DEQ.

Christendom also removed the sludge by hand from the stormwater ditch and claimed the sludge did not reach the Shenandoah River.

In response, the college constructed a new stand-alone clarifier approved by the DEQ to remove solid particles from the discharge.

Long term solutions are still being explored including the relocation of the outfall and connection to the Front Royal Wastewater Treatment Plant.

To read the full statement, click here.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Front Royal ask customers to conserve water due to lack of rain

front royal town hall

The Town of Front Royal once again is asking customers of the municipal water system to conserver consumption.

The daily stream flow of the town’s main water source, the South Fork of the Shenandoah River has dropped below the required standard for withdrawal.

The permit for water withdrawal is issued by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality and stipulates a certain river flow rate.

Once again, the lack of rain has caused the Shenandoah to drop below that rate.

The Town has issued several water conservation suggestions found here.

Any questions or concerns can be directed to the Town of Front Royal’s Water Treatment Plant at 540-636-7474.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Drought warning remains in effect

Although Tropical Storm Debby brought some much-needed rain to Clarke County, offering temporary relief to lawns and streams, the drought warning remains in effect.

Groundwater levels in the county continue to be notably low, as revealed by well gauges.

According to a USGS study, only one inch of every three inches of precipitation effectively replenishes the water table.

Current conditions still fall short of normal groundwater levels, meaning the drought warning advisory is still in place.

Residents are encouraged to practice voluntary water conservation, particularly those dependent on private wells.

It’s crucial to understand that one rainfall event does not resolve drought conditions; sustained precipitation over the fall and winter is necessary to significantly impact groundwater supplies.

For the latest updates from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s Drought
Monitoring Task Force, visit this link.

For detailed information on groundwater levels and trends, go to this link.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Front Royal issues mandatory water conservation order

The Town of Front Royal announced a mandatory water conservation order for municipal water system customers.

The South fork of the Shenandoah River has dropped below the permitted levels for withdrawal required by Virginia’s Department of Environmental Quality.

This reduction of water flow requires mandatory water conservation efforts.

Watering of shrubs, trees, lawns, grass, or plants between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. is prohibited.

Washing of any mobile equipment including trailers and surfaces is also prohibited.

All ornamental fountains that do not use recycled water must be shut down and cleaned and closed within 2 days of the declaration which was ordered July 15.

Pools are permitted to be topped off to maintain appropriate levels but cannot be filled for the time being.

Municipal water users are urged to comply with these efforts until further notice.

Violators of the mandatory water conservation efforts are subject to a $1,000 fine per offense.

In addition, each day that a violation occurs can be considered a separate offense.

Additional conservation efforts will also save money for users of the municipal water supply.

Any questions about the conservation efforts can be directed to the town’s water treatment plant at 540-636-7474.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here

Town of Front Royal implements voluntary water conservation request

The Town of Front Royal announced that they are officially joining other Northern Virginia Communities in water conservation efforts.

The town observed July 1 that the daily stream flow rate of the South Fork of the Shenandoah River has dropped significantly.

The town is only permitted water withdrawal under certain conditions by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

As a result all users of the town of Front Royal municipal water systems are asked to observe voluntary water conservation efforts.

Monitoring water usage and curtailing unnecessary usage is being asked until river flow improves.

An announcement will be made when the request is rescinded.

A list of additional conservation tips is available here.  

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here

VDEQ declares a drought watch or warning for all of Virginia

The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VDEQ) and Virginia Drought Monitoring Task Force (VDMTF) have issued a drought warning advisory for 12 counties.

A drought watch has been issued for 95 counties and cities of Virginia as well.

A drought warning indicates that a significant drought is imminent, and this most recent warning currently affects Augusta, Clarke, Frederick, Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah and Warren Counties.

The drought warning also includes the Northern Virginia region including Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Loudoun, and Prince William Counties.

The drought watch for other communities involved is intended to help Virginians prepare for a potential drought and includes the rest of Virginia.

Several factors are taken into consideration before a drought watch or warning is issued.

Stream flows throughout Virginia are currently 25 percentiles below normal values.

Groundwater levels for wells have also shown continued declines for the Northern, Central, and Eastern portions of the state as well.

Five drought evaluated regions show 5 percentiles below normal, that includes the Shenandoah.

The VDEQ stopped short of water conservation measures for Virginia but that should be considered by all citizens of the state at this time.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

WCFR respond to a fire and Haz-Mat incident

Warren County Fire and Rescue (WCFR) report their response to a fire and Haz-Mat situation early April 30.

Personnel responded to a commercial vehicle fire and Haz-Mat incident on Route 66 west mile marker 1 just past 2 A.M. April 30.

On arrival firefighters found a tractor trailer cargo on fire bellowing dense black smoke.

The cargo consisted of approximately 4,700 gallons of aircraft grade hydraulic oil.

Firefighters were able to extinguish the fire quickly but worked to ensure and contain any product or fire suppression run off from affecting adjoining property.

During fire suppression efforts Route 66 west was initially closed completely for approximately 2 hours.

Eventually a single lane was opened with a temporary delay and backup during the cleanup and abatement process.

Both the Virginia Departments of Emergency Management Hazardous Materials Office and Environmental Quality were called in and determined that all hazardous materials and fire suppression run off had been contained.

There was no threat to public land or waterways and no injures were reported in the incident.

Over 42,800 pounds of cargo was affected by the fire and needed to be offloaded.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.

Drought advisory continues

The “Drought Warning” enacted in August 2023 by the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality was lifted on Feb. 1st.

However, a “Drought Advisory” continues for the Shenandoah
drought evaluation region.

This includes the counties of: Augusta, Clarke, Frederick, Page,
Rockingham, Shenandoah, and Warren counties.

Although recent rain and snow have increased current moisture levels in soil, streams, and rivers a drought advisory remains in effect.

Long term precipitation deficits remain in the Shenandoah Valley.

For more news from across the Shenandoah Valley, click here.