Drought warning declared in New York City: ‘It will take a city’
NEW YORK (PIX11) — A drought warning has been declared in New York City, Mayor Eric Adams announced on Monday.
The warning applies to 10 New York counties and the city, which has been under a drought watch since Nov. 2.
Under a drought warning, New Yorkers are still urged to save water, even though residents’ daily water use has been higher than normal this time of year, according to Commissioner of the NYC Department of Environmental Protection Rohit T. Aggarwala.
New Yorkers use 1 billion gallons of water a day
New Yorkers can save water by fixing leaky faucets, taking shorter showers, only running a dishwasher when it’s full, not flushing toilets unnecessarily, and not washing cars in the streets, officials said. The biggest source of water waste is a leaky toilet.
An open fire hydrant is also a significant issue. About 100 open hydrants have been closed in the past week. The city will cut back water at public parks and work has stopped on the Delaware Aqueduct project, Adams said.
Cutting daily water use by just 5% will buy the city another day of water, officials said.
“It will take a city,” the commissioner said.
Between September 1 and mid-November, New York City saw 8.23 inches less rain than average, officials said. The state’s reservoirs are at 60% and should be closer to 80%, officials said.
There would need to be significant and prolonged rain where the city’s reservoirs are located – the Hudson Valley and the Catskills – for the city’s drought warning to be resolved, according to officials. A storm could bring some relief this week but it won’t be enough rain, officials said.
The FDNY has created a brush fire task force as it deals with fires across New York City amid dry and windy conditions. The FDNY has extinguished over 300 brush fires.
A state burn ban is still in effect.
Mira Wassef is a digital reporter who has covered news and sports in the NYC area for more than a decade. She has been with PIX11 News for two years. See more of her work here.
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