January 19 2021 Drought Watch Letter
January 19 2021 Drought Watch Letter
January 19 2021 Drought Watch Letter
--DROUGHT WATCH--
We are writing to inform you about the drought declaration DEP Secretary Patrick McDonnell
announced on January 7, 2021, on behalf of Governor Tom Wolf.
The drought watch or warning has been lifted for Bradford, Cameron, Columbia, Cumberland,
Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Juniata, Lycoming, McKean, Montour, Northumberland, Perry, Potter,
Snyder, Sullivan, Tioga, Union, Warren, and Wyoming counties.
Centre and Clearfield counties remain on drought watch. Clinton County is also on drought
watch, having improved from drought warning conditions.
Drought Watch
The declarations are in response to low stream flows, declining groundwater levels, and
below-normal precipitation primarily across counties in the central and western portions of
Pennsylvania.
Please review your Drought Contingency Plan (DCP) and update your DCP, if necessary, to
account for any changes in either your sources or the demands on your system. If you do not
have a DCP or your existing DCP is older than 3 years, you should be preparing one. If you are
preparing one for the first time, we have information available to help you at
https://www.dep.pa.gov/Business/Water/PlanningConservation/Drought/Pages/Forms.aspx. For
technical assistance please call our Planning and Conservation Division at 717.772.4048. DCPs
can be submitted online through the Drought Emergency Application (DEA) link provided on
the drought forms page.
Remember, in a drought watch, we should all be seeking to reduce water use by about 5 percent
through voluntary conservation measures. During a warning, our goal is 10-15 percent
reductions, still through voluntary measures.
If you have any questions, or we can be of assistance to you in any way, please feel free to
contact our Planning and Conservation Division by e-mail at [email protected] or by
telephone at 717.772.4048.
Sincerely,