Drought Watch in Effect for Our Area

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has issused a drought watch alert for Montgomery County, despite this past week's heavy thunderstorms.

With the drought watch, the DEP asks residents to voluntarily reduce water use by 5% for "non-essential" purposes. It also puts large water consumers "on notice to begin planning for the possibility of reduced water supplies."

The watch is in effect for 40 counties, including Montgomery, Delaware, Philadelphia, Bucks and Chester. (Chester County precipitation deficits over the past 90 days are 4.4 inches below normal, the agency stated.)

Four upstate counties are under a more serious designation — a "drought warning," which asks residents to voluntarily reduce water use by 10 to 15%.

"In addition to precipitation, groundwater and stream flow levels, DEP monitors soil moisture and water supply storage and shares this data with other state and federal agencies," the agency said.

The DEP recommends individuals take the following measures conserve water, at any time or season:

• Install low-flow plumbing fixtures and aerators on faucets.
• Check for household leaks. A leaking toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water each day.
• Take short showers instead of baths.
• Replace older washing machines with high-efficiency, front-loading models that use about 30% less water and 40 to 50% less energy.
• Run dishwashers and washing machines only with full loads.
• Keep water in the refrigerator to avoid running water from a faucet until it is cold.