Drought Watch Issued For Chester County

Pennsylvania's Department of Environmental Protection today issued a drought watch for Chester and 39 other counties and more severe drought warnings for four Pennsylvania counties

According to Mike Krancer, DEP Secretary, "With the hot, dry summer, our statewide monitoring network indicates a need to take this first step, which is aimed at alerting the public and water suppliers that it makes sense to take some voluntary common sense steps to conserve," 

A drought watch declaration is the first and least severe level of the state's three drought classifications. It calls for a voluntary five-percent reduction in non-essential water use and puts large water consumers on notice to begin planning for the possibility of reduced water supplies.

A drought warning asks residents to voluntarily reduce water use by 10 to 15 percent.

Chester County's precipitation deficit over the past 90 days is 4.4 inches below normal.

According to DEP, individuals can take a number of measures around the home to conserve water, including:

• 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 appliances with high-efficiency, front-loading models that use about 30 percent less water and 40 to 50 percent 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.

Additional water conservation tips and drought information can be found online at www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: drought.