Current Drought Status – Level 2 – Significant Drought

Due to above normal temperatures throughout July and early August and more than three months of below normal rainfall, Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Kathleen Theoharides declared on August 12^th a Level 2 – Significant Drought in all seven regions of the Commonwealth.

What you can do to help:

• Some will say “I have a private well, so I don’t have to worry about water bans.”  Martha Morgan, NRWA Water Programs Director commented, “Think of every well as another straw in the aquifer – your private well might have plentiful water, but watering your lawn may impact your neighbor’s drinking water well, or deplete the local streams that fish and other aquatic life depend on for life.”
• Residents are asked to minimize outside water use,  such as car washing, pool filling, or washing of patios or decks. Watering should be done with hand-held hoses or watering cans between the hours of 5 pm and 9 am. 
• Residents are also reminded that brown lawns are dormant - not dead!  A brown lawn in mid-summer is a natural phenomenon. Lawns will return to their green splendor when rains begin again. 
• Residents are asked to reduce indoor water use.

Limiting water use is one of the most effective ways to reduce impacts to water supplies for drinking, fire protection, and the environment.