Philadelphia-area placed on drought watch

    Much of Southeastern Pennsylvania is on a drought watch, including our five-county Philadelphia, Delaware, Bucks, Montgomery and Chester counties region.

    Forty counties in the state have been placed on watch by the Department of Environmental Protection, and four counties have been elevated to the warning level.

    “A drought watch declaration is the first and least severe level of the state’s three drought classifications,” reads the drought notice. “It calls for a voluntary five-percent reduction in non- essential water use and puts large water consumers on notice to begin planning for the possibility of reduced water supplies.”

    Counties on watch are asked to voluntarily reduce water usage by 10 to 15 percent, as some counties are more than 4 inches below normal in 90-day precipitation rates.

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    If you want to help reduce water usage, you can

    install low-flow plumbing fixtures
    take shorter showers
    replace old appliances
    rush dishwashers and washing machines only when full

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