One local community is floating the idea of mandatory water conservation. Harrisonburg city officials say there's growing concerns about the amount of water available for the city.

Switzer Reservoir provides the majority of the city's water. City officials say the levels are so low right now that mandatory conservation is a possibility.

According to Harrisonburg's water supply outlook as of Monday, Switzer Reservoir currently has 568 million gallons of water. That may sound like a lot, but public information officer Miriam Dickler says that's not so.

"Switzer Reservoir is low," says Dickler. "Generally, we like to see it at full capacity, and it's simply not."

For the year, the city is only two-and-a-half inches below average in rainfall, but it's what falls near Switzer that counts.

"It can rain here in the City of Harrisonburg and have very little effect on our water levels," says Dickler. "Because unless it's raining in the mountains and around, Switzer Reservoir and running into that reservoir, we're not getting the water."

By city standards, if the reservoir drops below 510 million gallons, it would trigger mandatory water conservation.

"Voluntary is basically we ask people to watch their water usage," says Dickler. "Under mandatory, we start policing."

In mandatory conservation, you can't use more than three gallons of water to wash your car or water your lawn. You can't use a decorative fountain in your garden. Restaurants also aren't supposed to serve you water at a restaurant unless you ask.

Home Depot store manager Kent Massie knows a number of ways to cut down on water usage, but says it's just not something typically on people's radar.

"People think about electric bills because they're so much. I mean, people have electric bills that are $100 or $150. But when you get a water bill, and it's $16 or $20, you don't think a lot about cutting your water in half because it's only $8," says Massie.

Any decision to put the city under mandatory water conservation would be up to the state or the city council, based on the city's own standards for acceptable water levels.