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HARRISBURG — Luzerne County and others in the northeast were removed from the drought watch due to the wet summer.
The state Department of Environmental Protection Friday lifted the watch for 37 counties based on recommendations from the Pennsylvania Drought Task Force. In a press release DEP said no counties remain on drought watch.
“We have seen an increase in rainfall in many parts of the state that has restored groundwater levels and streamflow,” DEP Secretary John Quigley said. “While conditions have improved, I would encourage all Pennsylvanians to continue to consider their water use and conserve whenever possible.”
The counties on the watch were: Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bradford, Cambria, Carbon, Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Franklin, Fulton, Huntingdon, Indiana, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lawrence, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mercer, Mifflin, Monroe, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne, Westmoreland, and Wyoming.
The Pennsylvania Drought Task Force uses reports and forecasts from the National Weather Service and U.S. Geological Survey, as well as analysis from DEP’s drought monitoring program, to make its recommendations on issuing and lifting declarations. The task force, led by DEP, will continue to monitor conditions across the state.
The drought watch declared in March because of below-average precipitation in the fall, winter and spring months led to lower than normal groundwater levels. The watch declaration is the first and least-severe level of the state’s three drought classifications. It calls for a voluntary 5-percent reduction in non-essential water use and puts large water consumers on notice to begin planning for the possibility of reduced water supplies.
However, precipitation during the month of June was above average and a review of county monitoring gauges shows that the 30-day average stream flows and groundwater levels have risen to normal or above normal conditions across the state, DEP said.
Water conservation tips and additional drought information are available by clicking here or visiting DEP’s website, www.dep.state.pa.us, keyword