October rains help lift drought watch for Philly and nearby counties

Pennsylvania officials have lifted the drought watch that went into effect over the summer for Philadelphia and the surrounding area after several heavy rains this month.

The watch was lifted Monday for 16 counties, including Bucks, Delaware, and Montgomery, but remains in effect for 20 counties where residents are asked to continue voluntarily conserving water. Chester County was never under the watch.

Though the area saw lower than normal levels of rainfall from June through September, rains in October dented that deficit. Nearly 5 inches of rain fell through Oct. 17 (before Monday’s rain). About 2 inches is normal over the same time period.

“While significant recent rainfall has helped, groundwater and some public water supply levels remain lower than normal ranges in some counties,” acting DEP Secretary Ramez Ziadeh said in a statement. “We ask Pennsylvanians in these and adjacent counties to continue to use water wisely and follow simple water conservation tips to ease the demand for water.”

The DEP’s drought web page is updated daily.

State officials declared a drought watch in August for 36 counties, including Philadelphia and its surrounding counties, and asked residents and businesses to voluntarily reduce their water use by up to 10%.

» READ MORE: From August: Pennsylvania declares drought watch for Philly and surrounding counties, asks residents to conserve water

That’s about the equivalent of saving 3 to 6 gallons of water per day. For comparison, older toilets use up to 6 gallons per flush, but newer ones range from 1.2 to 1.6 gallons. A standard showerhead uses 2.5 gallons per minute.

A drought watch is the first step in an escalating process that could lead to mandatory restrictions. It is followed by a warning, and then an emergency, which triggers restrictions. No Pennsylvania county fell into warning or emergency status this year.