Current voluntary water policies may be made mandatory if Rocky Mount does not receive significant rainfall, city water resources officials said.

The Rocky Mount Police Department announced that one boat ramp on the Tar River Reservoir will be closed today and another will be closed next week.

The closings are a result of a continued decrease inthe reservoir's water levels.

When voluntary water restrictions were announced July 4, the reservoir's water level was down 1 foot. The level is now down 4 feet, said Paul Blount, the city's director of water resources.

Blount said the city is "pretty doggone close" to implementing mandatory water restrictions, whichinclude regulating water use when irrigating, landscaping, filling pools or washing cars.

The boat ramp closures are not part of the potential mandatory water restrictions.

The falling reservoir levels affect the boat ramps on Bend of the River Road, which is set to close today, and Sapony Creek, which is scheduled to close Aug. 10, by lowering the water and making it impossible to load or unload a boat.

Police Capt. Wayne Sears said there already has been damage to trailers and boats.

The reservoir has been down as much as 10 feet in the past, Blount said.