On December 1, the Department of Environmental Protection announced, after a meeting of the Commonwealth Drought Task Force, that Clinton County was added to York County in drought warning, Westmoreland County was added to drought watch and 13 other counties remain in drought watch. 

Clinton County was moved to drought warning and York County will remain in drought warning.

Westmoreland County was moved to drought watch.

The decision to move Westmoreland County to drought watch and Clinton County to drought warning will support the efforts of water suppliers and their customers to conserve water.

[Note: Clinton and Westmoreland counties host major unconventional shale gas drilling operations that use millions of gallons of water.

[In fact, the Westmoreland County Municipal Authority took steps on November 16 to curtail water use by shale gas operators from the Beaver Run Reservoir.  Read more here.]

Adams, Bucks, Cameron, Cumberland, Dauphin, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Lebanon, Montgomery, Northampton, and Perry counties remain in drought watch.

Residents on drought warning are asked to reduce their individual water use by 10 to 15%, or a reduction of six to nine gallons of water per day.

Varying localized conditions may lead water suppliers or municipalities to ask residents for more stringent conservation actions. See the list of public water suppliers that have requested or mandated water conservation in their communities.

Click Here for water conservation tips and the complete announcement.

Visit DEP’s Drought Information webpage for more information.

NewsClip - Drought:

-- TribLive: Drought Watch Declared In Westmoreland, Voluntary Water Conservation Continues

NewsClips This Week:

-- Chesapeake Bay Program: Chesapeake Bay Sees Its Smallest Dead Zone In 39 Years

-- Chesapeake Bay Foundation: Smaller Dead Zone Is Promising Sign, Major Challenges Lie Ahead

-- LebTown.com: Quittie Stream Restoration At 22nd Street Is Complete, But Won’t Look Ugly For Long

-- WESA: Pitt Study Identifies Pollutants In Streams Feeding Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers; Acid Mine Drainage, Sewage Overflows, Toxic Metals Adversely Impact Water Quality

-- Brodhead Watershed Assn.: Clean Water Is Up To You - Driveway Car Washing Sends Oil, Gas, Heavy Metals Into Our Rivers & Streams

-- Delaware RiverKeeper Dec. 1 RiverWatch Video Report

Related Articles This Week:

-- DEP: Clinton & York Counties In Drought Warning, Westmoreland Added To Drought Watch, 13 Counties Remain In Drought Watch  [PaEN]

-- DEP Awards $19.3 Million In 2024 County Clean Water Action Plan Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grants  [PaEN]

-- New Report Shows Positive Impact Of Soil Health Management Systems In Delaware River Watershed  [PaEN]

-- Warren, Erie, Crawford Counties Master Watershed Stewards Offering Info Sessions On Becoming Master Stewards; Spring Training Begins In March  [PaEN]

-- EPA Region 3 Awards Nearly $387 Million For Clean Water, Drinking Water Infrastructure Upgrades In Pennsylvania  [PaEN]

[Posted: December 2, 2023]

12/4/2023