Pennsylvania under statewide drought watch
The entire state of Pennsylvania is now under a drought watch as of Friday afternoon, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection.
The department issued the watch after a meeting of the Commonwealth Drought Task Force.
A drought watch is the lowest and least severe of three possible types of drought declaration, with more severe ratings being drought warning, and drought emergency.
In a statement, the DEP said the watch was determined using four drought indicators: precipitation, surface water flow, groundwater level, and soil moisture.
“While the recent rainfall has been welcome, there are still persistent precipitation deficits statewide,” the DEP said in a release. “Persistent rain will be needed for more consistent meaningful improvement to groundwater levels.”
Westmoreland County and Allegheny County both have “green,” or normal, levels for all four indicators, according to a U.S. Geological Survey monitoring tool, but other parts of the state are experiencing more severe drought conditions.
The DEP advised residents and non-farm businesses to consider reducing their nonessential water use. It suggested that people avoid watering their lawns unless necessary and using a drive-through car wash that recycles water instead of washing cars with a hose.
Julia Maruca is a TribLive reporter covering health and the Greensburg and Hempfield areas. She joined the Trib in 2022 after working at the Butler Eagle covering southwestern Butler County. She can be reached at jmaruca@triblive.com.
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