“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 following counties are on 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
- Wyoming.
Residents on drought watch are asked to reduce their individual water use by 5 to 10%, or a reduction of three to six gallons of water per day.
DEP is notifying all water suppliers in these counties of the need to monitor their supplies and be prepared by updating their drought contingency plans as necessary. Varying localized conditions may lead water suppliers or municipalities to ask residents for more stringent conservation actions.
At this time, two public water suppliers are requiring residents to reduce their water use: Galeton Borough Water Authority in Potter County and Waterville Water Association in Lycoming County.
Six suppliers are asking residents to voluntarily reduce their water use:
• BCI Municipal Authority, Clearfield County
• Driftwood Boro, Cameron County
• Jersey Shore Area Joint Water Authority, Lycoming County
• Lock Haven, Clinton County
• Palmerton Municipal Water Authority, Carbon County
• Pennsylvania American Water Company – Bangor District, Carbon County