Drought Watch Lifted For Morris County After 5 Months

Thanks to a steady fall of precipitation – be it snow or rain – Morris County is no longer under a drought watch, which was imposed by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection more than five months ago.

The DEP lifted the watch Tuesday, March 1 after it was imposed on Sept. 23 of last year.

“We have experienced a steady and sufficient amount of rainfall and snowmelt to replenish reservoirs, steams and shallow groundwater,” DEP spokesman Larry Hajna told Patch. “The DEP will monitor the situation as we head into the spring and summer, when water usage typically increases.”

In its announcement online, the DEP said:

The return of a more normal precipitation pattern over the past ninety (90) days has produced a slow but steady recovery in all indicators. Precipitation in all regions has been at near or above normal levels for several weeks. Streamflow in northern and central NJ has returned to near or above normal levels while still moderately dry in southern New Jersey. Reservoirs are at near or above normal levels state wide. Shallow groundwater levels are also recovering with only a dip to moderately dry in the coastal north region this evaluation cycle. There are no indicators which are severely or extremely dry. This sustained improvement justifies a lifting of the drought watch in the northeast, central and coastal north regions. NJDEP will keep a close eye on the drinking-water-supply indicators as spring is just around the corner. Evapotranspiration will pick up as the weather warms and trees leaf out. Demand by municipal water systems will also increase due to outdoor water use. If the coming spring and summer are dry then steps may be needed to protect the water supply. But everyone involved hopes for a normal amount of precipitation in the coming months.

See the DEP’s water levels throughout the state here. As of March 2, no New Jersey counties were under a drought watch.