THE DROUGHT SHOWS no signs of ending any time soon, and people in the Fredericksburg region are getting used to life with mandatory water restrictions.

That doesn't mean they like it. In fact, some have become understandably stingy with their water. Some in fast-growing Spotsylvania and Stafford counties have asked officials to halt all development, or at least turn down any projects seeking county approval.

That's not as easy as people might think.

A moratorium on building permits might be possible in an extreme emergency--which no one has clearly defined--but the ban would extend to both homes and businesses. And the possibility of delaying construction of stores and offices is not good for economic development.

But it could happen. "If it doesn't rain for a few more months, things will become that serious," Spotsylvania Supervisor Emmitt Marshall said last week.

Even taking the drought out of the equation, some people wonder if Spotsylvania and Stafford have enough water to keep up with growth.

Two large-scale projects in Spotsylvania have been in the headlines recently. Developers are proposing the town of Chancellorsville on State Route 3 and Lee's Parke on U.S. 1 near Interstate 95. Combined, they would add 4,600 new homes and dozens of new businesses.

The projects' impacts on traffic and schools have been raised--standard for any large development--but people now are also asking if the county will have enough water for everyone.

The simple answer for both Stafford and Spotsylvania is: Officials think so.

Fredericksburg, which partners with Spotsylvania on water, has little room for significant growth. But its projections, which include development of the planned Celebrate Virginia complex, show the city will have enough water through 2035, Public Works Director Doug Fawcett said.

At that point, the city should essentially be built out, with no developable land left.

Once the Hunting Run Reservoir comes on line in Spotsylvania over the next couple of years, the county will have enough water to meet the maximum projected demand through 2035, Utilities Director Tim Slaydon said.

Stafford's long-term water plans center on the proposed Rocky Pen Run reservoir in the county's southern end. Scheduled for completion in 2010, it would hold 4.6 billion gallons, said Stafford Utilities Director Bob Bos.