A call for the voluntary conservation of water in Rocky Mount could become mandatory if the area doesn't see significant precipitation in the next week.

Town officials asked residents Monday to start conserving water after the flow of the Blackwater River has continued to decrease, they said.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the river flow had decreased even further.

"Creeks and branches in the upper reaches of the Blackwater River basin are dry or nearly dry, and the impact of those dry tributaries on Rocky Mount's water supply is clear," Assistant Town Manager Matt Hankins said.

The Blackwater is the town's sole source of water. It is also the water source of farmers and residents along the river throughout the county, Hankins said.

The call for voluntary conservation is the second stage in the five-stage drought response plan the town council approved in April. If the drought worsens, the next step would be mandatory conservation. A water emergency and extreme water emergency would follow, if necessary.

Stage three, the mandatory conservation, will likely happen in the next few weeks, Hankins said.

During that stage, the town would declare a local emergency, end bulk water use and sales, and encourage the use of bottled water. A water abuse hotline would also be implemented.

The next stage would allow for an emergency increase in water prices, which has to be approved by the town council.

Hankins insists that steps included in the water emergency stage shouldn't be viewed as scare tactics to get residents to use water wisely.

"This is a fact," he said. "The water table is going down way too fast."

The Franklin County area is experiencing "moderate drought" conditions, according to the National Weather Service. The growing problem was started by a combination of drought conditions last summer and the lack of significant snowfall in the winter, town officials said.

And when the town called for water customers to voluntarily conserve last summer, water usage actually went up.

"We will be more aggressive this year," Hankins said.

In the Roanoke Valley, the Western Virginia Water Authority -- which provides water to the most customers in the region -- has also seen a decrease in water levels this summer, but doesn't expect to activate its drought contingency plan, Environmental Communications Coordinator Sarah Baumgardner said.

The authority's primary water sources are the Carvins Cove and Spring Hollow reservoirs. Carvins Cove is currently at 83 percent capacity, and the Spring Hollow reservoir is at 76 percent capacity.

"We have seen an impact from lower rainfall; however, it's in good shape," Baumgardner said.

Because the authority has multiple sources of water, it can manage during drier months by moving water around the system, she said.

Rocky Mount town officials are looking into additional water sources, including tapping into the waterline the authority is installing along U.S. 220 from Clearbrook to the Wirtz Plateau area in Franklin County, north of the town.