June 26, 2024: RWSA declares drought watch, calls for voluntary water conservation measures amid "flash" conditions
Plus: A look at ranked choice voting in Arlington and a lawsuit against RGGI withdrawal remains alive
June 26 is the 178th day of 2024. While Town Crier Productions is only four years old this year, there are many companies across the globe that are celebrating their 178h birthday including Bristol Water in the United Kingdom and the dairy firm Hood from Massachusetts.
Is there a fact that could be listed here that pertained more to the subject matter of Charlottesville Community Engagement? I’m Sean Tubbs, and it’s time to research things slightly closer to home in space and time.
In today’s installment:
The Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority issues a drought watch which calls for voluntary water conservation measures
Arlington County Democrats nominee a candidate for the County Board using four rounds of ranked choice voting
The latest nationwide statistics on sales of new homes and new housing starts
A judge in Floyd County rules that a lawsuit can proceed against Governor Youngkin’s decision to exit the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative
First -shout out: Charlottesville E-bike Lending Library
In today’s first Patreon-fueled shout-out: The rolling topography of the Charlottesville area keeps some people away from choosing cycling as an option to get around. Perhaps an e-bike is in order?
That’s where Charlottesville’s eBike Lending Library comes in! E-bikes are a great way to get around the community but there are many brands and styles to choose from. Because many e-bikes are sold online, it can be a challenge to try an e-bike before buying one.
The Charlottesville E-bike Lending Library is a free, not-for-profit service working to expand access to e-bikes in the area. They have a small collection of e-bikes that they lend out to community members for up to a week, for free. You can experience your daily commute, go grocery shopping, or even bike your kids to school, and decide whether e-bikes are right for you. Check out this service at https://www.ebikelibrarycville.org!
RWSA declares drought watch amid dry conditions
The Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority has responded to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality’s declaration of a drought watch advisory with one of its own.
“Based on the Drought Monitoring Task Force designation of our area as in a drought watch and the fact that we are having flash drought conditions of extreme temperatures, low precipitation, no precipitation really in the forecast, we want to recommend to the [RWSA] Board that we officially declare a drought watch,” said Bill Mawyer, the executive director of the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority.
That signals to individuals and businesses to voluntarily conserve water, but localities are not yet asked to put in mandatory measures.
“That occurs at the next stage which is a warning,” Mawyer said.
The full list of drought contingencies is contained with a plan last updated in 2015. (download the plan)
The RWSA operates three reservoirs that make up the bulk of the water supply for Albemarle’s urban ring and the City of Charlottesville but Mawyer said his staff keeps the closest eye on the South Fork Rivanna Reservoir.
“We have a whole flow strategy that’s seasonal,” Mawyer said. “From May to November, we monitor South Rivanna and if it’s overflowing everything is great and we maximize use of the water in the South Rivanna Reservoir.”
Water is currently trickling over the dam rather than spilling over in large quantities which Mawyer said is an indicator of drought. That means the RWSA reduces the amount it takes from South Fork for water supply and takes more from the Observatory Water Treatment Plant which is fed by the Ragged Mountain Reservoir.
Mawyer said the forthcoming pipeline between the Ragged Mountain and the South Fork Rianna reservoirs will allow the ability for water to be transferred from the former to the latter.
Mawyer said what is happening right now is a weather phenomenon that many may not have heard before. something called a “flash drought.”
“Stream temperatures and low rainfall creates what [the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] calls a ‘flash drought’,” Mawyer said. “In other literature, it starts and intensifies quickly and over a period of months it would dissipate as opposed to a conventional drought that can last for years.”
Mawyer said DEQ’s move this week prompted his staff to put forward a recommendation to the RWSA Board at their regularly scheduled meeting in June. The adopted resolution also gives the agency the power to declare a drought warning or drought emergency if conditions worsen before the next Board meeting in July.
The RWSA also operates the Beaver Creek Reservoir which serves Crozet and Totier Creek Reservoir which serves Scottsville.
“Soon if we don’t have rain, all five of our reservoirs are not going to be spilling,” Mawyer said.
Albemarle Supervisor Ann Mallek of the northwestern White Hall District said she was glad the RWSA take a proactive step. She pointed out that counties across the mountains in the Shenandoah Valley are already under a drought warning from the DEQ and those ecological systems are connected to the one where she lives.
“We’re on the eastern slope and we are absolutely as dry as they are in the northern valley,” Mallek said. “The streams are dry and there’s not been one drop. I did all of my rain tallies and things like that and we are six inches below what we’re supposed to have in the first half of 2024. On top of the six inches below where we were supposed to be at the end of 2023.”
Mallek said people on urban water should stop watering their lawns and said anyone on wells have already stopped doing so.
Arlington selects Democratic nominee for County Board in four rounds of ranked-choice voting
As Albemarle and Charlottesville consider the use of ranked-choice voting to select local candidates in the 2025 primary and general elections, interested parties could take a look at see how another Virginia locality is using the method.
After four rounds, Julius “J.D.” Spain was elected late last week to be the Democratic nominee to the open seat on the Arlington County Board. There were five candidates in all and on primary day, Spain got 32 percent of the 20,338 votes cast in what is considered the first round.
Under ranked-choice voting, voters in Arlington can select their first, second, and third choice for a candidate. With only one seat open, the nominee had to receive at least 50 percent of the vote.
“If no candidates receive the required number of votes to win, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and ballots for that candidate are transferred to the voter's next choice,” reads the primer for ranked choice voting on the Arlington website.
At the beginning of the second round, candidate Julie E. Farnam’s 1,267 first-choice votes were redistributed to the four remaining candidates.
“If your 1st choice candidate is eliminated, your vote is transferred to your 2nd choice candidate,” the primer continues.
That meant Spain picked up an additional 227 votes in the second round, but that only brought the candidate’s percentage up to 33 percent.
In the third round, fourth place candidate James A. DeVita was eliminated and Spain picked up another 443 votes.
“If your 2nd choice candidate is eliminated, your vote is then transferred to your 3rd choice candidate,” the primer continues.
In the fourth round, third place candidate Tenley D. Peterson was eliminated and Spain picked up another 3,348 votes to get to 52 percent. Throughout the process, runner-up Natalie D. Roy went from 28 percent of the votes cast to 43 percent.
Arlington elects a new member of the County Board each year, with two selected in every fourth year. In that sort of an election, the threshold to be nominated is 33 percent.
U.S. Census Bureau: New home sales down sharply in May
There were around 619,000 new homes sold across the entire United States in May, a figure that is both below sales in April and May 2023. That’s according to data released this morning by the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
That amount is 11.3 percent below the same figure from April 2024 and 16.5 percent below the figure from May 2023.
Last week, the two agencies released statistics for new residential constructions and those numbers are a bit larger.
In May 2024, there were 1,386,000 building permits issued across the country with 1,277,000 housing starts. That means ground was broken for construction. There were 1,514,000 completed new homes.
Each of these is measured with its own statistic but when combined, the figures for May 2024 were 5.5 percent below those of April 2024.
An anecdotal review of sales in Charlottesville should hopefully be posted within the next week. Paid subscribers of Charlottesville Community Engagement will get a first look.
Second shout-out: Camp Albemarle
Today’s second subscriber-supported public service announcement goes out to Camp Albemarle, which has for over sixty years been a “wholesome rural, rustic and restful site for youth activities, church groups, civic events and occasional private programs.”
Located on 14 acres on the banks of the Moorman’s River near Free Union, Camp Albemarle continues as a legacy of being a Civilian Conservation Corps project that sought to promote the importance of rural activities. Are you looking to escape and reconnect with nature? Consider holding an event where the natural beauty of the grounds will provide a venue to suit your needs. Visit their website to view the gallery and learn more!
Floyd County judge keeps RGGI withdrawal lawsuit alive
Virginia Governor Glenn Younkin has twice now indicated a willingness to use the executive branch to undo energy-related policies that his Republican party has been unable to remove through the General Assembly due to being in the legislative minority.
On his first day in office in January 2022, Youngkin signed Executive Order Nine which directed staff to notify the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative that Virginia would leave the interstate compact the Commonwealth had only recently joined.
Under RGGI, power generating companies have to purchase credits if they exceed certain thresholds of carbon and other greenhouse gas emissions. Virginia joined after legislation that passed the General Assembly in 2020 and Dominion Energy and other companies obtained the ability to charge a fee to cover the costs of purchasing the credits.
Money raised through auctions RGGI held for the credits went back to states in the form of funding for programs such as flood control mitigation efforts. When legislation for Virginia to leave RGGI failed to pass in 2022, Youngkin did what he said he would do and worked through regulatory means to end the practice.
The Southern Environmental Law Center filed a suit on behalf of several organizations in Fairfax Circuit Court last August to stop the exit with pleadings arguing that Youngkin’s actions violated the Virginia Constitution because only the General Assembly could sanction withdrawal from RGGI.
In November, that court argued that none of the organizations had demonstrated they had the right to bring the suit forward, a legal principle called “standing.” (Learn more at Cornell University’s Legal Information Institute)
However one of the organizations, Floyd-based Association of Energy Conservation Professionals, did have standing because they had received proceeds from RGGI to help weatherize homes in preparation of more intense storms caused by a changing climate. The case was referred to that locality’s Circuit Court.
According to the Roanoke Times, the Virginia attorney general’s office filed a motion to dismiss the case which was denied in February by Floyd County Circuit Court Judge Mike Fleenor. That judge recused himself three weeks later and the retired Judge Randall Lowe was assigned to the case.
There was a hearing on Monday once again on the attorney general’s request to dismiss the case. According to the Roanoke Times, Judge Lowe allowed the case to move forward to a September 16 hearing on the merits.
However, the Roanoke Times article states that Judge Lowe denied a request for Virginia to rejoin RGGI while the case is pending. Participation ended on December 31, 2023 and two auctions have been held so far since the Commonwealth dropped out.
The SELC issued a press release supporting Judge Lowe’s decision to let the matter proceed.
“We are pleased with today’s decision, which allows this case to move forward and will ensure the administration’s decision to leave RGGI—which we have repeatedly alleged is unlawful—will be reviewed by a court,” wrote SELC senior attorney Nate Benforado. “We look forward to the next steps in this action and will work as expeditiously as possible to get Virginia back in RGGI.”
Earlier this month, Younkin announced that Virginia would no longer mandate that new cars sold after 2035 be fossil-free. That decision also came after bills filed by Republican legislators to undo previous legislation tying Virginia’s air quality standards to those in California which exceed federal parameters.
Reading material:
University credit union moving ahead with plans for new headquarters on Fifth Street Extended, Sean Tubbs, C-Ville Weekly, June 19, 2024
Virginia Dept. of Health plans to test small, disadvantaged communities for PFAS, Charlie Paullin, Virginia Mercury, June 21, 2024
Rep. Bob Good calls on investigation into 5th District Republican primary, Maggie Glass, 29 News, June 24, 2024
MicroCAT is seeing a steady increase in riders, Keagan Hughes, 29 News, June 24, 2024
Roundabout coming to Hydraulic Road and Hillsdale Drive intersection, Gabby Womack, Keagan Hughes, 29 News, June 24, 2024
How to Spend 24 Excellent Hours in Charlottesville, Va., Robey Martin, Eater D.C., June 24, 2024
Midday departure for #696
The goal is now to get these out by 10 a.m. but my insomnia last night had other plans. Almost every single evening I have dreams in which I’m working on stories, complex problems, comedies of error. Sometimes I’ll wake up in the middle of the night convinced it’s time to get to work but I won’t allow myself to do so before 6 a.m.
Summer makes me feel groggier than the other months and I had a delayed start today but wanted to get these stories out. Now they are, and it is on to the next set of stories with the hope of getting back to the new routine.
If you’re on Substack, you can always check with my Notes page for a status update. The goal is to produce something seven days a week, but that’s an aspiration that doesn’t always get met.
In any case, I’m grateful for paid subscriptions, but grateful for the stream of new unpaid subscribers. Substack will pester you to go paid, but I will not do so. It is your choice. To entice you, I will state again that Ting will match your initial payment at either the $5 a month, $50 a year, or $200 a year level.
And soon I’ll finally have a formal policy on “group” subscriptions based on a conversation I had today with one organization that has come to depend on the reporting I do. One day I hope to say “we” do but this is a one-person operation, though that operation is a member of both the Virginia Press Association and Local Independent Online News (LION).
Ting can help you with your high speed Internet needs. If service is available in your area and you sign up for service, enter the promo code COMMUNITY and you will get:
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