Montgomery County is among 36 counties the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) said Wednesday is under a drought watch.
State officials have asked residents to reduce their water usage by five to 10 percent, a reduction of three to six gallon of water per day.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has asked water suppliers to monitor their supplies and update their drought contingency plans. Six suppliers in more rural parts of the state have already requested residents to reduce water use.
The National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln lists Montgomery County as being "abnormally dry” due to persistent dry and hot conditions through the summer.
In addition to Montgomery County, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection placed the following counties in a drought watch as of Wednesday: Berks, Bradford, Bucks, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Dauphin, Delaware, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne, and Wyoming.
“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 Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection Acting Secretary Ramez Ziadeh.
On Aug. 9, New Jersey authorities placed the entire state under a drought watch.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection issued the following tips to conserve water use at home:
• 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.
