New York City agencies are being ordered to prepare water conservation plans and residents urged to “conserve every drop possible” amid a drought watch following a historically dry October.
“By starting to save water now, we’re doing everything we can to make sure that we can water our parks and fill our pools come summer, and to stave off a more serious drought emergency,” Mayor Eric Adams said in an announcement on X Saturday morning.
October saw the second longest rainless streak in the city’s recorded history, with only .81 inches of rain falling compared to an average of about 3.81 inches, officials said.
Among the city Department of Environmental Protection’s water saving tips for residents are reporting leaking fire hydrants, taking shorter showers, refraining from unnecessary flushing and fixing dripping faucets.
The watch comes after the National Weather Service issued a red flag warning in the Tri-State area Friday.
A drought watch is the first of three levels of water conservation declarations by the city. Next could come a drought warning followed by a drought emergency.
The city is “prepared to take further actions if required,” said Camille Joseph Varlack, Adams’ chief of staff and extreme weather coordinator.
The city’s water supply serves 8.3 million residents in the five boroughs and 1.5 million people upstate.
The H2O comes from 19 reservoirs and three controlled lakes as far as 125 miles outside the city. Approximately 7,000 miles of water mains, tunnels and aqueducts deliver water to homes and businesses in the Big Apple.
Thanks to improved management strategies, the city now uses just 1.1 billion gallons a day on average compared to 1.5 billion gallons of water a day in 1979, officials said.
The coming week is expected to be dry until next Sunday, when a chance of precipitation is in the forecast, according to AccuWeather.
