Delaware County now in a state
Delaware County and most of the counties in the rest of eastern Pennsylvania are in a state Department of Environmental Protection-issued drought watch, and voluntary conservation is urged. The declarations were made by the state agency on Friday.
The watch is the first level. It would be followed by a drought warning and finally a drought emergency. In the watch, residents are urged to conserve 5% to 10% of water usage. It runs to 10% to 15% in the warning, then become mandatory in the emergency.
Individual public water systems may implement their own conservation measures, the DEP said. That is already going on in some spots.
The criteria for declaring these drought phases includes precipitation, groundwater levels, stream flow and soil moisture.
In a press release, quotes from officials:
"Pennsylvania received very little rain over September and October, capping off a dry six months, particularly in the southeast part of the state. DEP makes drought declarations based on long-term trends; a rainy week may not lift the drought status for an area," said DEP Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley. "We want residents to be aware of these conditions and be mindful of their water use."
"Much of the commonwealth is at a high risk for fire danger as a result of dry conditions, and it is critical that Pennsylvanians use extreme caution when handling fire or avoid any burning as these conditions persist," Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said. "Stay up to date with the latest information using DCNR's Wildfire Danger Forecast Map and be sure to follow all local guidance pertaining to burn bans to do your part to keep our natural resources and communities safe from fire."
"Water is essential for growing food. Voluntary restrictions do not apply to farms and other businesses that rely on it to produce food," Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding said. "Risks and volatility in farming are weather-related more than in any other business. Pennsylvania's beneficial natural average rainfall has been upended by weather extremes and unpredictability in recent years and 2024 is no exception. Nearly 40 percent of the topsoil across the state is either short or very short in moisture content in the past week, and several counties are eligible for federal relief for earlier drought conditions or flooding.
"It's critical for farmers to keep track of losses, and take advantage of federal crop insurance to help recoup losses. State conservation funding and business planning grants help protect their soil, diversify their operations, and cushion against future weather extremes. Planning cannot change the weather, but it can help farm businesses manage the risks that come with it."
Saturday was the 36th day in a row at Philadelphia International Airport that no measurable precipitation was recorded, and included an unprecedented zero total for October, the first time any month in a record period that dates to 1871 has seen a zero. That's more than 1,800 months.
There are minimal chances for rain on Wednesday night and Thursday in Delaware County with no other opportunities through the coming week, according to the forecast.
Since Aug. 20, only 0.77-inch has been recorded at the airport.
Up until that time, 2024 was about normal for precipitation, but the tap turned off. Most of the extreme dryness is within a 70-mile radius of Philadelphia.
Georgetown has been the driest at 0.29 inch since Sept. 1, with Wilmington not much better at 0.33. However, those two Delaware sites did have significant rainfalls late in August that Delaware County and the airport didn't get.
Berks and Schuylkill counties are in drought warnings. Berks has had 1.11 inches of rainfall at Reading Regional Airport since Aug. 20, more than Philadelphia International, but there are more factors at play than just the rainfall.
