Drought watch remains for 20 counties; Luzerne County among 47 removed

Aug. 27—The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) this week announced that after a meeting of the Commonwealth Drought Task Force that drought watch has been lifted for 47 counties and remains for 20 counties.

Counties that remain on drought watch are: Adams, Berks, Bucks, Cameron, Chester, Clarion, Cumberland, Dauphin, Fayette, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Venango and York.

Drought watch has been lifted for: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Blair, Bradford, Butler, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Delaware, Elk, Erie, Forest, Greene, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northumberland, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Warren, Washington, Wayne, Westmoreland and Wyoming counties.

Residents on drought watch are asked to reduce their individual water use by 5 to 10%, or a reduction of three to six gallons of water per day.

Varying localized conditions may lead water suppliers or municipalities to ask residents for more stringent conservation actions. See the list of public water suppliers that have requested or mandated water conservation in their communities.

Ways to conserve water at home

There are many ways to conserve water at home, including:

—Run the dishwasher and washing machine less often, and only with full loads.

—Shorten the time you let the water run to warm up before showering, and take shorter showers. The shower and toilet are the two biggest indoor water guzzlers.

—Check for and repair household leaks. For example, a leaking toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water daily.

—Install low-flow plumbing fixtures and aerators on faucets.

—Replace older appliances with high-efficiency, front-loading models that use about 30% less water and 40-50% less energy.

Find more tips at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

How DEP determines drought conditions

To determine drought conditions, DEP assesses information from public water suppliers and data on four indicators: precipitation, surface water (stream and river) flow, groundwater level, and soil moisture.

The DEP Drought Coordinator monitors the indicators in close partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which maintains gauges in streams and wells in many locations across Pennsylvania.

There are normal ranges for all four indicators. DEP makes drought status recommendations after assessing departures from these ranges for all indicators for periods of 3-12 months.

DEP shares these data and its recommendations with the state and federal agencies and other organizations that make up the Commonwealth Drought Task Force. Declarations are determined by DEP, with the concurrence of the task force.

Pa. Game Commission: Elk

cam back for another season

With the September peak of Pennsylvania's elk rut right around the corner, you can get a jump-start on viewing some of those bugling bulls through the Game Commission's Elk Cam.

The Game Commission again has installed a camera on State Game Lands 311 in Elk County, in a field that typically is a hub of elk activity, as the bugling season heats up.

Video and sound from the camera are being live-streamed at — www.pgc.pa.gov — and viewers can expect not only to see elk, but turkeys, deer, possibly a bear, and other wildlife as well.

Elk in the coming weeks will ramp up activity — with bulls becoming more vocal and competing with one another for available cows. Enjoying the show is just a few clicks away.

"Elk are magnificent animals and the spectacle of their bugling season draws onlookers to the elk range each year, sometimes from hundreds of miles away," said Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans. "Witnessing that action, anywhere you go, without having to make a trip, is part of why the Elk Cam so popular. The Game Commission is proud to bring it back for yet another run."

The live-stream is provided by HDOnTap and made possible with the help of the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission.

"HDOnTap is very excited to partner with the Game Commission for another year of wildlife viewing on the live cam in elk country," said Kate Barone, Director of Marketing with HDOnTap. "Year after year, the Elk Cam is live streamed to more than 1 million screens nationwide. This live cam's allure lies in its unpredictability, showcasing the diverse wildlife of Pennsylvania in all its glory."

The Elk Cam is slated to run until the end of the bugling season, likely sometime in mid-October. The top time to see elk on camera is late in the afternoon.

The stream can be accessed on the Game Commission website at — https://www.pgc.pa.gov/Wildlife/WildlifeSpecies/Elk/Pages/default.aspx.

Pa. Game Commission

names new Bureau Director

The Pennsylvania Game Commission recently promoted Lindsay Moawad to director of the agency's Bureau of Automated Technology Services.

Moawad replaces Deana Vance, who previously was promoted to Deputy Executive Director of Administration.

Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans said Moawad, in her new role, has benefited from her years of experience working within the Game Commission's Bureau of Automated Technology Services, where she'd headed the data resources division since 2017.

Moawad came to the agency in 2001 as an application developer in the Bureau of Automated Technology Services.

"Lindsay hit the ground running in her new position and I'm sure she'll continue to excel in her new role," Burhans said. "She's brought with her a lot of experience useful in carrying out the important responsibilities of her new job, and she's putting it to work."

As bureau director, Moawad is responsible for the agency's technology needs including leading an IT staff that's made up of three divisions: networking and support, data resources, and geographical information. Those divisions maintain the infrastructure, maps, various websites and databases.

"I'm excited for this leadership opportunity and I'm surrounded by a dedicated team that will help us to achieve the agency mission," Moawad said. "Main goals are to continue to modernize and improve our infrastructure, accelerate efficiency, and focus on creating positive customer experiences," she added.

Moawad is a native of Johnstown, who received her Bachelor of Science degree in Business Information Systems from Shippensburg University.

Back Woods Bass Results

Bob Strunk reports results from the Back Woods Bass Harveys Lake Wednesday night Lunker Tournament, the Back Woods Bass Harveys Lake Friday Night Tournament and the Monday Night River Tournament.

Week of Aug. 21

Harveys Lake Wednesday

Night Lunker League

1st Place: Cody Cutter, 3.38 lbs.

2nd Place: Jason Bone, 3.32 lbs.

3rd Place: Gary Mikulski, 3.02 lbs.

4th Place: Colby Roberts, 2.70 lbs.

5th Place: Howard Hazeltine, 2.60 lbs.

6th Place: Gary Collins, 2.59 lbs.

7th Place: Duane Deno, 2.53 lbs.

8th Place: Greg Mikulski Sr., 2.38 lbs.

9th Place: George Gendler Jr., 2.35 lbs.

10th Place: Jeff Jones, 2.25 lbs.

Harveys Lake Friday

Night Tournament

1st Place: John Niezgoda/Eric Stull, 12.48 lbs.

2nd Place: Joe Zombek, 11.59 lbs.

3rd Place: Jake Seymour, 10.87 lbs.

4th Place: Jim Bojonny/Toles Hartman, 10.20 lbs.

5th Place: Travis Sciandra/Gary Collins, 9.77 lbs.

6th Place: Randy Ritsick, 8.89 lbs.

7th Place: Silas Farrow/Mike Purdy, 8.67 lbs

8th Place: Jason Bone/Jeff Jones, 8.16 lbs.

9th Place: Chuck Peterman/Rob Vales, 6.94 lbs.

10th Place: Bob Strunk/Bruce Bonham 5.90 lbs

Week of Aug. 14

Monday Night River Tournament

1st Place: John Centak/Chet Williams, 2.00 lbs.

2nd Place: Joe & Wyatt Frederick, 1.76 lbs.

3rd Place: Bob & Sheldon Strunk, 1.53 lbs.

Harveys Lake Wednesday

Night Lunker League

1st Place: Joe Simko, 3.81 lbs.

2nd Place: Barry Sult, 3.06 lbs.

3rd Place: George Gendler, 2.96 lbs.

4th Place: Kenny Kosloski, 2.80 lbs.

5th Place: Dustin Sult, 2.73 lbs.

6th Place: Travis Sciandra, 2.59 lbs.

7th Place: Dave Brill, 2.41 lbs.

8th Place: John Stravinski, 2.27 lbs.

9th Place: Chris Kalna, 2.06 lbs.

10th Place: Evan Stravinski, 1.79 lbs.

Harveys Lake Friday

Night Tournament

1st Place: John Niezgoda/Brad Rinehimmer, 13.00 lbs.

2nd Place: Jake & Kevin Seymour, 11.88 lbs.

3rd Place: Kenny Kosloski/Ron Dopko, 10.99 lbs.

4th Place: Matt Fredmonski/Mark Maros, 9.68 lbs.

Also won Lunker Award, 4.25 lbs.

5th Place: Jim Bojonny/Toles Hartman, 9.50 lbs.

6th Place: Duane Deno, 9.12 lbs.

7th Place: John & Evan Stravinski, 8.01 lbs.

8th Place: Silas Farrow, 7.44 lbs.

9th Place: Travis, Trevor & Ricky Sciandra, 7.03 lbs.

10th Place: Andre Harris/Nick Altavilla, 5.45 lbs.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle