In a unanimous vote, the Charlottesville City Council ended all water restrictions for Charlottesville last night during their biweekly meeting in City Hall.
Mayor Maurice Cox said the resolution passed in order to honor the Council's commitment that it would lift restrictions if local reservoirs kept an 85 percent capacity for eight consecutive days.
According to the Rivanna Water and Sewer Authority, the Sugar Hollow and South Rivanna Fork Reservoirs now are at full capacity, and overall, local reservoirs are 90.7 percent full.
Vice Mayor Meredith Richards said the lift should not encourage Charlottesville residents thoughtlessly to start turning on all the taps.
"This is not an invitation to relax on your conservation methods," Richards said. "The groundwater and streams will not be fully recharged at least for another season. Until that time, we are not out of the woods, and not out of danger. If we see another dry, hot summer, we could be in a similar situation next year."
The past several months have witnessed a massive campaign on the part of the city and the University to encourage students and residents to cut back on water usage. During the height of the restrictions, restaurants started serving food on paper plates and charging for bottled water, and University dining halls stopped using trays. Car washes were also forced to resort to chemical cleaning methods.
The Council also passed a resolution regarding issues to consider when discussing the future water supply.
Council member Blake Caravati proposed an amendment that recommended the Council consider additional reservoir construction with the inclusion of a new Beaver Creek dam into the regional system.
Richards and Cox both voiced their objections.
"I have a problem shifting those priorities without addressing the full impact," Cox said. "I'm not disagreeing that that may be an option. But it would be making a decision on the fly."
The Council also addressed increasing water rates.
Council member Kevin Lynch said the Council needed to make clear that "the increase should only be in place to make up for lost revenues. This is a one time increase until we make up for lost revenues."
Council member Rob Schilling said he agreed.
"We need to do a periodic rate review, in 30-day increments, based on a lower consumption," Schilling said. "We also need to express regret at having to raise rates. Although it may feel like a slap in the face, it's not intentional. We don't have much of an alternative here."
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