Drought Warning In Fire-Ravaged NJ, Murphy Urges Water Conservation

NEW JERSEY — State officials have officially declared a drought warning in New Jersey, as wildfires scorch forests and reservoirs begin to dry up.

New Jersey residents are being urged to limit water usage, Gov. Phil Murphy and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said on Wednesday.

The drought warning allows the DEP to manage water systems more closely, by controlling releases from reservoirs and changing the flow of some waterways to supply areas most impacted by the drought.

A warning is one level below a drought emergency. This is the most serious declaration the state could make, and the state would implement mandatory, phased restrictions on certain uses of water.

In the meantime, residents are asked to conserve water by taking shorter showers, only running the washing machine or dishwasher when they are full, and turning off the water when they brush their teeth.

New Jersey American Water issued a mandatory conservation notice, and is urging its customers across the state to pause their outdoor watering until spring and conserve as much as possible indoors.

Click here for tips on how to conserve water.

Major reservoirs are also below normal levels of water for this time of year, and groundwater levels are severely dry in much of the state. The state last entered drought warning status in Oct. 2016, which remained in some parts of the state until Aug. 2017.

The New Jersey Forest Fire Service says conditions in the state are the driest they have been in nearly 120 years, and crews continue battling a massive wildfire in North Jersey.

Since June, the state has seen 6-10 inches of rain below normal levels, the state said. And in the southern half of the state, rain deficits are almost 10 inches below normal just over the last three months.

So far in November, the state has gotten a quarter to a half-inch of rain, when the statewide average for the month is 4 inches.

This article contains reporting from the Associated Press.