Roanoke Valley Field Notes: Voluntary water measures now in place with persistent drought

Welcome to Roanoke Valley Field Notes, a collection of news and miscellaneous notes from the past week in the valley and a look ahead at what’s happening next week. Here’s last week’s edition if you missed it.

Residents in the valley may consider skipping their usual rinse and repeat in the shower for the time being. As extreme heat and a drought continue, the Western Virginia Water Authority is implementing voluntary conservation measures and urging customers to be mindful of water usage. Salem, which operates its own water system, is too.

Also, Roanoke approved zoning restrictions for data centers, which would now require rezonings in almost every case.

You won’t hear from me next week, as I’ll be lying on a beach in South Carolina instead of writing this column (It’s ok, I’m devastated, too). But I’ll be back in two weeks, likely with a nasty sunburn.

As always, email me at samantha@cardinalnews.org to share your thoughts, ideas, questions and concerns.

Western Virginia Water Authority implements its drought plan for first time in its 22 years

As drought conditions continue, the Western Virginia Water Authority is implementing voluntary water conservation steps throughout its service area.

The city of Salem is, too.

As of Wednesday, Carvins Cove is 14.6 feet below full pond, or 65.9% capacity. The authority posts daily reservoir levels on its website.

“At this stage, we will increase awareness and encourage our customers to voluntarily use water wisely,” the authority’s site says. Sarah Baumgardner, the authority’s director of public relations, said some customers are already doing that — average daily production of water has dropped even though the number of customer connections is increasing. This is partially due to newer appliances and faucet models, and the replacement of the authority’s water meters a decade ago that notify customers of leaks more quickly.

This is the first time in the authority’s 22 years of service that it is implementing its drought contingency plan.

An authority press release said there will be no interruption to water service or water quality.

Here’s what customers are being asked to do:

Reduce outdoor water use by only washing cars or watering plants before 10 a.m. and after 7 p.m., when evaporation rates are lowest.
Reduce indoor water use by repairing leaks, turning off water when shaving or brushing teeth, reducing shower time, only running washing machines or dishwashers with full loads, and installing water-saving devices like low-flush toilets.

Baumgardner said the authority has activated some wells that aren’t normally used to supplement water, and a water line built last year that allows treated water to flow from Spring Hollow’s service area to Carvins Cove’s service area is also reducing the amount of water that needs to be withdrawn from Carvins Cove.

A few recent bouts of rainfall have been helpful, Baumgardner said, but did not do much to improve drought conditions.

The drought would need to get worse before mandatory water restrictions would be necessary, Baumgardner said Wednesday. That is something the authority might consider if the water levels at Carvins Cove dip to around 26 feet below full pond, she said. The implementation of mandatory water conservation happens on a sliding scale and depends on the time of year and historic water level trends.

During mandatory water conservation, water authority customers may be asked to only water plants once per week in the morning or the evening, wash vehicles only with water from a maximum of a three-gallon bucket, refrain from washing driveways or sidewalks, turn off ornamental fountains and lower the water levels in pools. Restaurants would also be prohibited from serving water unless a customer asks for it.

More information on the authority’s drought contingency plan can be found here.

Data center restrictions approved in Roanoke

Roanoke City Council on Monday approved its first zoning restrictions related to future data centers.

The council unanimously voted to establish data centers and data processing facilities as a new use in the zoning code — the difference between the two being that data centers are the typical, gigantic structures that are growing rapidly in Virginia, and data processing facilities are less intensive, requiring staff to be on site to process data.

Data centers are now allowed only in the industrial planned unit development districts in the city, and only through a special exception. That would require review and public hearings by the city’s planning commission and the council.

Additional regulations govern setbacks, hours of operation, landscaping, building design, noise and other requirements needed for data centers to be built.

Councilman Peter Volosin said during Monday evening’s meeting that he is not in support of data centers and said the city should focus on industries that bring in jobs.

Councilman Terry McGuire said he is concerned about the “rapid explosion” of data centers in Virginia and noted that he is largely concerned about environmental impacts.

“I feel like they’re being crammed and rushed forward. I appreciate council taking first steps to put common sense protections in place,” McGuire said.

Kirk Family YMCA to open preschool program

At the start of the next school year, the Kirk Family YMCA in downtown Roanoke will offer a new Early Learning Center — a full-day early learning option that will focus on kindergarten readiness, social-emotional development and hands-on learning in a classroom environment, according to a YMCA press release.

The program is targeted toward three-year-olds and will start in early August, led by Nicole Immoos, the Kirk YMCA’s early learning center childcare coordinator.

Kirk Family YMCA members will pay $190 per week for the program, and non-members will pay $210 per week. Financial assistance is available for qualifying families, the release states.

Enrollment is now open and is limited. Those looking for more information can find it here.