NEW YORK -A drought watching has been issued in parts of New York, including New York City, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced Saturday.
Fifteen counties are now under drought watch: all five counties in the city, plus Delaware, Dutchess, Greene, Orange, Putnam, Rockland, Schoharie, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester.
Mayor Eric Adams also announced a citywide drought watch.
October was the driest month on record for the city, after 29 days without any measurable rainfall, the second longest dry spell on record. The longest dry spell in New York City lasted 36 days in 1924.
What is a drought watch?
The DEC has four levels of drought advisories: watch, warn, emergency and disaster.
In New York City, the Department of Environmental Protection has three levels of water conservation declarations: drought watch, drought warning, and drought emergency.
Under drought supervision, city agencies will update water conservation plans and prepare to implement them. New Yorkers are also being urged to do their part to help save water.
“By starting to conserve water now, we are doing everything we can to ensure we can keep our parks and pools supplied with water through the summer, and to avoid a more serious drought crisis,” Adams said in a statement.
City DEP Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala says New Yorkers use as much as 1 billion gallons of water every day, and if that could be reduced even a small percentage, it could delay a drought warning or emergency, when mandatory rules for water conservation would be introduced. in place.
“Across the board, our reservoirs are at about two-thirds of capacity, which is about 10 percent less than they should be at this time of year,” he said.
According to the DEP, if conditions continue, the city could reach a drought warning level within weeks.
How New Yorkers can help save water
The DEC and the city DEP offered the following tips New Yorkers can follow to prevent unnecessary water waste:
- Do not flush the toilet unnecessarily.
- Take shorter showers.
- Do not leave the tap running while shaving, washing hands or brushing teeth.
- Repair leaks.
- Only run the dishwasher and washing machine when they are full.
- Install water-saving fixtures, such as low-efficiency faucets and shower heads.
- Water lawns only when necessary.
- Sweep driveways and sidewalks instead of washing them with a garden hose.
Aggarwala says the car wash for drivers is actually a water-saving measure.
“A professional car wash will actually use a lot less water per wash than just running a hose on the side of the street,” he said.
New Yorkers are also encouraged to report open fire hydrants and street leaks to 311.
“If every New Yorker makes even small changes, like turning off the tap when washing hands, brushing teeth and washing dishes, we will save millions of gallons every minute,” Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi said in a statement.
This is the first drought warning New York City has issued in more than two decades.
