Drought Warnings, Watches Expand Across Maryland

MARYLAND — The Maryland Department of the Environment has issued new drought watches and warnings across the state as dry conditions continue to worsen. Residents and businesses are also being urged to conserve water whenever possible, officials said.

The expansion of alerts follows six months of lower-than-average rainfall and virtually no rain this autumn, officials said in a news release. With reservoir levels at 95 percent capacity, Baltimore City currently is the only jurisdiction in the state not facing a drought watch or warning.

“We’ve had a very dry year overall, and monitoring shows an impact on water availability statewide,” Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain said in a statement. “While there is no immediate water shortage, we encourage residents and businesses to use water wisely as we continue to monitor the situation.”

No state-issued mandatory water restrictions are in place at this time, officials said.

As of Monday, drought warnings were in effect for Eastern and Southern Maryland. Watches were in effect for Western and Central Maryland, including the area served by the WSSC Water system.

While there is less demand compared to the peak demand in the summer, officials said the state has increased its monitoring and oversight of water supply conditions.

Due to dry conditions, there is also a statewide burn ban in effect.

Here's a summary of drought conditions for different parts of the state:

Eastern Maryland

A drought warning is in effect based on monitoring that shows lower-than-normal precipitation, stream flows and groundwater levels in shallow aquifers. Although most domestic wells in the region are deep enough to avoid any impacts, there could be impacts to shallower wells.

Central Maryland

A drought watch is in effect based on monitoring that shows lower-than-normal precipitation, stream flows and groundwater levels.

Western Maryland

A drought watch is in effect based on lower-than-normal precipitation. The Town of Oakland in Garrett County recently issued restrictions on certain water uses due to the reservoir it relies on reaching critically low levels.

Southern Maryland

A drought warning is in effect based on monitoring that shows lower-than-normal rainfall and groundwater levels.

WSSC Water Service Area

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments recently extended a drought watch that was enacted in July.