Pennsylvania

Not Enough Rain: Philly, 35 Other Pa. Counties Under Drought Watch

Philadelphia and its surrounding Pa. counties are under a drought watch

Take shorter showers and don't keep the water running because a drought could be coming to the Commonwealth state.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced Wednesday in a news release that 36 Pennsylvania counties are under a drought watch, including Philadelphia and all of it's surrounding counties, excluding Chester County.

“A few counties have experienced very dry conditions over the summer, and a number of others have inched into increasingly dry conditions in recent weeks. We’re asking Pennsylvanians in all of these counties to use water wisely and follow simple water conservation tips to ease the demand for water,” said DEP Acting Secretary Ramez Ziadeh.

The Commonwealth Drought Task Force placed the following counties under the drought watch: Berks, Bucks, Bradford, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Dauphin, Delaware, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne, and Wyoming. 

The counties under the drought watch are asked to reduce their water use by 5% to 10% or reduce their water use by three to six gallons per day.

Potter and Lycoming county residents who use Galeton Borough Water Authority and Waterville Water Association are required to conserve water.

The department listed the following ways to conserve water:

  • Run water only when necessary. Don’t let the faucet run while brushing your teeth or shaving. Shorten the time you let the water run to warm up before showering. 
  • Run the dishwasher and washing machine less often, and only with full loads.
  • Water your garden in the cooler evening or morning hours, and direct the water to the ground at the base of the plant, so you don’t waste water through evaporation.
  • Water your lawn only if necessary. Apply no more than 1 inch of water per week (use an empty can to determine how long it takes to water 1 inch). Avoid watering on windy and hot days. This pattern will encourage healthier, deeper grass roots. Over-watering is wasteful, encourages fungal growth and disease, and results in shallow, compacted root systems that are more susceptible to drought.
  • When mowing your lawn, set the blades to 2-3 inches high. Longer grass shades the soil, improving moisture retention. It also grows thicker and develops a deeper root system, so it can better survive drought.
  • Check for and repair household leaks. For example, a leaking toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water daily.
  • Sweep your sidewalk, deck, or driveway instead of hosing it off.
  • Replace older appliances with high-efficiency, front-loading models that use about 30 percent less water and 40-50 percent less energy.
  • Install low-flow plumbing fixtures and aerators on faucets.
  • Set up a rain barrel to be ready to repurpose rain when it does fall.

For more information about the drought watch visit the departments site.

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