Photo by Jared Soares | The Roanoke Times

Rocky Mount's main source of water, the Blackwater River, is at the lowest water level it has been in decades.

ROCKY MOUNT -- Mandatory water conservation was ordered Monday for what is believed to be the first time in this Franklin County town.

"Continued drought, little rainfall and steady water use all mean that our lack of water has become more critical, and so I call upon you as citizens and good neighbors to do everything you can to reduce water use in your household and at work," Town Manager James Ervin said in a letter to town water customers.

Three thousand water customers in and around the town will begin to receive that letter today informing them water conservation is now mandatory.

Town water customers may not water plants or their lawns. There are limited exceptions, such as for vegetable gardens, Assistant Town Manager Matt Hankins said. But in that instance, a watering can should be used -- and not a hose, he said.

Customers cannot wash their vehicles, either, but may still get their cars cleaned at commercial car washes. The use of outdoor fountains is also banned, as well as the filling of swimming pools.

A water abuse hotline -- 483-0907-- has been set up for anyone to call and report others not following the rules.

Water flow in the Blackwater River hit a historic low Monday, about 1 cubic foot per second, after weeks of little to no rain. For Aug. 25, based on 31 years of records, the median flow in the Blackwater is 43 cubic feet per second, according to federally kept data. The previous low, before this year, was 8.4 cubic feet per second in 1981.

A look at the dam at the water treatment plant "tells the whole story," said John Coleman, lead operator at the plant.

Water sits stagnant on top of the dam, where it's usually gushing over. Watermarks show what was once covered by water but is now dry and exposed to the sun and heat.

How long the mandate will last isn't set in stone.

"We hope for less than 30 days, but that entirely depends on the weather," Hankins said. "It will take several heavy rains or a long, soaking rain over a period of several days to recharge the water table."

If the water flow gets back to the level when the voluntary call for conservation was made July 28 -- about 13 cubic feet per second -- the mandatory cutback could end. Whether all conservation efforts would end or a step back to the voluntary stage would follow will be discussed later, Hankins said.

Also up in the air are penalties for not following the rules.

Hankins said he has started a database to log all complaints of water abuse. If someone gets reported, his office will follow up with a phone call or letter, asking the offender to observe the mandatory conservation.

"We don't plan fines except for egregious water abuse," Hankins said. He did not elaborate on what that would be, exactly.

Sue Rigney and her mother, Christine, worked in their yard on Pell Avenue on Monday afternoon, tending to a batch of tomatoes and cutting back bushes.

"We'll do our best and not water anything that doesn't really need it," Christine Rigney said.

Mother and daughter have been cutting back on their showers and providing water only for the vegetable garden.

Like others in the town, the two hope for the only possible solution: rain.

It would take 6 to 10 inches of rain to provide relief from the drought, said Peter Corrigan, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Blacksburg.

Everyone has their eye on the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay, expected to deliver rain this week. But Corrigan said the most reasonable estimate right now is 1 to 3 inches of rain.

"Even in the best circumstance, it won't end the drought completely," he said.

Last week the area's drought rating went from moderate to severe, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

If rainfall doesn't move into the area this week, that rating could move to extreme in the next week or two, Corrigan said.

Rocky Mount isn't the only area experiencing water woes.

In Bedford County, the Public Service Authority is setting up a bulk water hauling station to help farmers and other residents who depend on creeks and ponds that have dried up.

And at Smith Mountain Lake, dramatically low inflows have prompted Appalachian Power Co. officials to seek an extension to a federally issued variance limiting the volume of water released from the lake. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission issued the initial variance July 29, and it is valid for 45 days.

Appalachian spokesman John Shepelwich said the utility submitted a letter to FERC last week requesting the variance be extended until Smith Mountain Lake's adjusted level returns to full pond, or 795 feet.

About 5 p.m. Monday, Smith Mountain Lake's adjusted elevation was 791.43 feet. The lowest recorded lake level was 787.6 feet in January 1970.