U.S. Water News Online
TRENTON, N.J. -- A drought warning has been issued for 251 towns in 13 counties along the Delaware River and the coast for the first time in more than two years.
The warning carries no mandatory restrictions, but state environmental officials asked residents and businesses in affected areas to curb unnecessary water use and practice conservation. Individual municipalities are permitted to establish their own water restrictions regardless of what the state does.
It rained less than an inch in all of October, which has a normal rainfall of about 3 inches. The state is now 7 inches or more below average annual rainfall. Less than 1.5 inches of rain have fallen statewide since Oct. 1, compared with an average of 6 inches, according to state climatologist Dave Robinson. Rainfall has been below average in 11 of the last 13 months.
``Over a year, that's starting to amount to something,'' Robinson said. ``But it's been sneaky.''
It has rained less than one-third of an inch so far in November, according to Loretta O'Donnell, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
``Traditionally in the winter we get more precipitation and reservoirs refill,'' O'Donnell said. ``By now, normally we would be seeing 4 inches of rain this month.''
The warning covers parts of Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, Hunterdon, Mercer, Monmouth, Ocean, Salem, Sussex and Warren counties. It came in response to low reservoir levels at the Delaware River's headwaters in the Catskills in New York state.
Areas of New Jersey not covered by the warning rely on aquifers and reservoirs in the central and northeastern part of the state that still have enough water.
A drought warning allows the state Department of Environmental Protection to control water distribution and transfers among major reservoirs, and to modify water allocations temporarily.
The next action, if water levels continue to drop, would be a drought emergency issued by the governor. Such an emergency, which has not been issued since August 1999, allows the state to set mandatory water restrictions where necessary.
New Jersey last issued a drought warning in 1999 after a hot summer and almost no rain for five months. Since that time, additional stream and groundwater level monitors have been installed.
O'Donnell said stream levels are down as much as 20 percent in parts of the state. Groundwater levels are in better shape, she said, but are being watched closely.
``On the positive side, if you're going to be sliding into a drought this is the best time of year because consumption is down,'' Robinson said, adding that swimming pools tend to be drained, lawns are not watered and water does not evaporate as quickly.
It could take a year of above-average rainfall to alleviate the problem, Robinson said. Even if New Jersey has average precipitation for the rest of the year, it will be the driest year since 1965.
The DEP has scheduled public hearings for Dec. 4 in Westfield and Dec. 5 in Moorestown to seek comment on the warning and possible water-related actions in the future.
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