State officials have declared a drought watch for 35 counties across the Commonwealth, including Philadelphia, as well as Bucks and Montgomery counties.
As a result, the Philadelphia Water Department is urging local residents to reduce their water use.
“Water is the most valuable resource, and it’s a shared resource. More than 13 million people cherish the Delaware River as a provider of clean drinking water,” Philadelphia Water Department Commissioner Randy Hayman said. “Doing what we can to reduce household water use even a small amount will help Philadelphians and our neighbors weather these conditions.”
Conservation now will help avoid more serious shortages, should drought conditions persist, officials added.
Philadelphians can conserve water by taking shorter showers, turning off the water while brushing your teeth, not running the dishwasher until it is completely full, and fixing any leaky faucets and running toilets.
The Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers are Philadelphia’s drinking water sources and are surface water supplies. For the drought situation to improve, several periods of slow, steady, soaking rain are necessary to replenish underground water tables.
In the meantime, Philadelphians are urged to conserve water as much as possible.
More drought information can be found online at dep.pa.gov/drought
