Virginia Restrictions

Mandatory water restrictions have been implemented in Chesterfield County, Virginia and voluntary conservation measures now are being urged in Richmond and in the counties of Hanover, Henrico and Goochland. The voluntary restrictions could become mandatory if rainfall doesn't increase levels in the James River said Angela Fountain, a spokeswoman for the Richmond Department of Public Utilities.

With the restrictions, residents and businesses are required to limit outdoor watering of established lawns to a schedule based on odd and even numbered property addresses. The schedule calls for no watering on Mondays; watering at odd-numbered addresses only on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays; and watering at even-numbered addresses only on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.

''It spreads the water demand over the week, so we're not pulling water out of the river at the same time,'' Fountain said. If drought conditions persist through October, water customers in Richmond could be hit for the first time with a surcharge for excessive use. With the surcharge, customers pay a higher rate on the amount of water that exceeds 140 percent of their average monthly use from the previous winter. Mandatory restrictions also are in place in Petersburg and Colonial Heights and the counties of Prince George and Dinwiddie.