44 Pa. counties get drought notices

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Don Hopey has been covering environment issues for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette since 1992.
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44 Pa. counties get drought notices
Saturday, August 06, 2011
By Don Hopey, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Four northern tier counties are under drought warnings, and Allegheny County is one of 40 counties under a drought watch, issued by the state Department of Environmental Protection Friday.
The drought warnings and watches are based on recent precipitation deficits, groundwater, stream flow and water supply storage measurements and soil moisture assessments. The notifications carry recommendations for voluntary water use reductions, and the DEP is also notifying water suppliers in the 44 affected counties to monitor water supplies and update drought contingency plans.
A drought watch is the least severe of the three DEP drought classifications. It calls for a voluntary 5 percent reduction in nonessential water use and notifies large water consumers to start planning for possible reductions in water supplies.
A drought warning -- issued to Cameron, Elk, McKean and Potter counties -- asks residents to voluntarily reduce water use by 10 to 15 percent.
"With the hot, dry summer, our statewide monitoring network indicates a need to take some voluntary common sense steps to conserve," said DEP Secretary Mike Krancer in a news release. "We recommended this [action] to Pennsylvania's Drought Task Force, and the members agreed."
Despite plentiful rainfall earlier this year and some recent scattered thunderstorms, many counties have experienced precipitation deficits in recent months. Elk County precipitation is 4.1 inches below normal over the past 90 days and Chester County is 4.4 inches below normal.
Measurements taken at the Pittsburgh International Airport show rainfall for the first week of August is about a third of an inch below normal, but the year-to-date rainfall remains 3.67 inches above normal.
"Allegheny could be above normal for the year, but we also look at stream flow and soil moisture data when making the drought designations," said Jamie Legenos, a DEP spokeswoman.
Water conservation measures suggested by the DEP include running dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads, taking short showers instead of baths, installing low-flow plumbing fixtures and aerators on faucets and checking for household leaks, like a running toilet. A toilet can leak about 200 gallons a day.
Don Hopey: 412-263-1983.Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11218/1165617-454.stm#ixzz1ULQnu4NC