County under drought watch, DEP announces

SHENANDOAH – Schuylkill County is under a drought watch, again, according to the Pennsylvania Drought Task Force.

The task force announced the declaration for 25 counties in Pennsylvania, with Schuylkill being the only county in east-central Pennsylvania and the only county that isn’t bordering another county under drought watch.

“Pennsylvania received very little rain over the summer. We want residents to be aware of these dry conditions and be mindful of their water use,” said DEP Secretary Jessica Shirley. “DEP makes drought declarations based on long-term trends. A severe thunderstorm or a rainy week may not lift the drought status for a particular area.” 

Most counties under drought watch are in the Pennsylvania Wilds and the Allegheny Front.

A drought watch means a county has three of four factors monitored reaching “watch” status. Those factors are precipitation, stream flows, groundwater levels, and soil moisture.

The DEP Drought Coordinator monitors these indicators in close partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which maintains gauges in streams and wells in many locations across Pennsylvania. DEP makes its drought declarations after assessing the departures from normal ranges for periods of 3-12 months.

For a map that’s updated daily to show the status of all four indicators for each county, see the USGS Pennsylvania drought condition monitoring website.  

DEP also factors in information it receives from public water suppliers.

More information about drought can be found on the DEP website: Drought Information  

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