N.J. issues drought watch

Three and a half months after lifting a statewide drought warning, the Murphy administration on Wednesday, Oct. 1 issued a statewide drought watch.

Residents and businesses are strongly urged to voluntarily conserve water because of prolonged below-average precipitation that is stressing water supplies, officials said.

“Over the past year, New Jersey has experienced extreme weather variability that is consistent with a changing climate,” Environmental Protection Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said. “Last fall and winter were among the driest on record, leading to a drought warning in November that was followed by a very wet May and even severe flash flooding in parts of the state in July.

“But with the return of prolonged dry conditions over the latter part of this summer and early fall, water supplies are showing signs of stress again.”

The declaration of a drought watch is intended to increase public awareness and appreciation of the stress that water supply sources are facing.

If conditions do not improve, the state could declare a drought warning. The next step would be a drought emergency, under which mandatory water-use restrictions would be imposed.

Rainfall below normal

Rainfall across New Jersey has been one inch to six inches below normal in the past 90 days, contributing to diminished streamflow, reservoir and groundwater levels.

The state has experienced below-average precipitation during 10 of the past 12 months while temperatures have remained mostly above average.

“A dry late summer and early fall, along with most of the past year coming in with below normal precipitation, are contributing to water resource concerns across the state,” said state climatologist David Robinson.

Average precipitation in the past 90 days has ranged from moderately dry to severely dry. Average stream flows across the state are moderately or severely dry.

Reservoirs in the Northeast and Coastal North regions are moderately dry. Unconfined groundwater throughout the state is rated as severely dry.

Though rainfall in the Coastal South has been near average, groundwater has been remarkably slow to improve.

2024 drought watch

New Jersey entered a drought watch on Oct. 17, 2024, as a result of rainfall that was significantly below normal during the preceding summer. By the next month, the DEP placed all of New Jersey under a drought warning because of ongoing precipitation deficits and deteriorating water supply conditions, particularly storage levels in reservoirs.

The warning was lifted June 11 after the significant spring precipitation throughout most of the state, though a drought watch remained in the Coastal South region.

As outlined in the 2024 New Jersey Statewide Water Supply Plan, New Jersey is experiencing the impacts of climate change on water supplies. In recent years, the trend has been increasingly intense rainfall events followed by periods of little or no rain.

With the increased uncertainty posed by these weather patterns, it can become challenging for water supply managers to ensure the availability of water resources during dry periods.

The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) continues to closely monitor current drought indicators, which include precipitation, stream flows, reservoir levels, ground water levels and water demand.

The DEP will continue to inform the public, local governments and water systems of future actions to mitigate the risk of more severe conditions. Municipalities or water utilities may require additional restrictions depending on local water supply conditions.