The Downside of Sunshine

Leesburg resident Greg Powell and his wife, Beth, have saved water by bathing their sons, ages 2 and 5, together. Powell relies on an 800-foot-deep well. Although he's not worried about it running dry any time soon, Powell said he's aware of the need to conserve.

"We certainly haven't watered any grass or washed any cars at our house lately," Powell said. "It's definitely affected our lifestyle, not drastically but just in small changes."

The small changes can affect plants and pets alike.

Lezley McIlveen, a dentist in Herndon, said the drought has relegated her horse to a steady diet of imported hay from the Midwest because the pasture where he's stabled is barren. Each out-of-state bale costs $15 and doesn't deliver the same nutritional value as fresh grass. "I'm worried about him getting colic," she said.

The battle to keep grass green has also been a losing one for Manassas area home builder Tony Willingham. He has had trouble getting inspectors to issue occupancy permits on houses he has completed because the landscaping looks so shoddy. "Everything that I planted a month ago is dying," he said. "The only thing this drought helps me with is laying basements, because the concrete dries so fast."

Despite the hand-wringing over the weather, plenty of residents said that they have few concerns about drought and that they would cut back on water use if restrictions were put in place.

"I guess I should be doing more," said Gaithersburg resident Brian Combs. "Now I feel bad. Are we in a water crisis I'm not thinking about?"

Even as some residents cut back on watering their lawns as a result of the shortages, they might want to consider watering their houses, Alexandria structural engineer John Woods said. Homeowners who live atop expansive soils, such as marine clay, can prevent settling and cracking by moistening the ground along the base of their home's foundation. "If this drought continues, people will start to see problems by next month or December," he said. "They will see cracks in ceilings and around windows and doors."

At national parks in the area, officials said they are worried about the health of plants and shrubs planted in the spring, National Park Service spokesman Bill Line said. To the north and west of Washington, in places such as Catoctin Mountain Park and in battlefield parks at Antietam and Monocacy, Line said the drought could kill off trees weakened by gypsy-moth infestations.

But the Park Service's most famous trees, the blossoming cherry trees that encircle the Tidal Basin, are in no danger, Line said. He said crews have been soaking them with Tidal Basin water all summer.

Like its neighbors, the District is under a drought watch, issued by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, but the city is not feeling much strain on resources, officials said. The Potomac River is running at reasonable levels, and the city's reservoirs are full, said Carrie Brooks, spokeswoman for Mayor Adrian M. Fenty (D).

The District generally has less demand for water than suburbs because city lawns are fewer and smaller, Brooks said. "We have not had to do anything special," she said. "If that changes, we could put something in place very quickly."

Staff writers David A. Fahrenthold, David Nakamura, Paul Schwartzman and Jackie Spinner contributed to this report.