DEP Declares Statewide Drought Watch

[stecal]

I guess it is official now.

06/15/2023

Harrisburg, PA – Following a meeting of the Commonwealth Drought Task Force this week, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has declared a statewide drought watch. While not required, residents and businesses are encouraged to voluntarily conserve water by reducing their nonessential water use.

https://www.media.pa.gov/Pages/DEP_details.aspx?newsid=1769

 

[DaveKile]

Not surprised this has been an issue for several months.

Found some of the actual numbers here:

New York/Pennsylvania Year to Date Precipitation Departures

Another national tool I like to visualization the situation is the Palmer Drought Index from the feds.

Weekly Palmer Drought Indices | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Weekly Palmer-type maps and time series beginning in 2005

www.ncei.noaa.gov

 

[Roofin' Trouter]

Here are precip outlooks from Euro,American, and Canadian models over the next ten days.

 

[Swattie87]

Bring it on.

 

[jifigz]

Not surprised this has been an issue for several months.

Found some of the actual numbers here:

New York/Pennsylvania Year to Date Precipitation Departures

View attachment 1641231109

Another national tool I like to visualization the situation is the Palmer Drought Index from the feds.

Weekly Palmer Drought Indices | National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI)

Weekly Palmer-type maps and time series beginning in 2005

www.ncei.noaa.gov

Interesting that western PA and southern NY are barely behind schedule but PA just below NY is way behind.

 

[riverwhy]

Any recommendations on Washington County trout streams?

 

[dryflyguy]

Interesting that western PA and southern NY are barely behind schedule but PA just below NY is way behind.

I'm surprised by that too
We went over 3 weeks with no measurable rainfall during the dry spell that finally ended rather recently, with a few pretty substantial rains
But I wouldn't have thought that it cut into the deficit that much

 

[CRB]

Lot of lake effect rain showers Temps have been very cool.

 

[wildtrout2]

I'm hoping the predicted wet pattern coming to the region will do the trick, especially for the NC region.

 

[Kyle]

yep. pretty dry out there. i make my living by moving water. years past we had to use pumps that pump 5,000 gallons a min to bypass creeks for projects, that wont be needed anytime soon. in the meantime ill re build the pumps so they are ready. or start re building the 30,000 gallon a min pumps

 

[TimMurphy]

yep. pretty dry out there. i make my living by moving water. years past we had to use pumps that pump 5,000 gallons a min to bypass creeks for projects, that wont be needed anytime soon. in the meantime ill re build the pumps so they are ready. or start re building the 30,000 gallon a min pumps
View attachment 1641231118

Dear Kyle,

I suppose I could have asked this via messaging but I'm curious. Do you work for a pump dealer or a highway/civil contractor?

Years ago, I sold heavy equipment, now I just arrange to have it trucked around but to me. iron is still iron.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

 

[Kyle]

Dear Kyle,

I suppose I could have asked this via messaging but I'm curious. Do you work for a pump dealer or a highway/civil contractor?

Years ago, I sold heavy equipment, now I just arrange to have it trucked around but to me. iron is still iron.

Regards,

Tim Murphy

pump dealer. repair shop. service center. rental house.

 

[DaveKile]

The last 30 days have been above average. For the majority of the state and normal for the remaining counties. We are still in a small annual deficit, but looking better than we were in early June.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

In Maryland, the drought discussion typically includes underground aquifer replenishment - which we're told by the state means that the rain that falls now, takes ~10 years to percolate into the aquifers. Is this also part of the DEP declarations?
(Just curious. I'm not an expert.)

 

[Nocktavius]

In Maryland, the drought discussion typically includes underground aquifer replenishment - which we're told by the state means that the rain that falls now, takes ~10 years to percolate into the aquifers. Is this also part of the DEP declarations?
(Just curious. I'm not an expert.)

Not sure what kind of geology yall have down there but 10 years seems like an awful long time. Even in central PA with its caverns and sinks everywhere, the cycle is like 6 months. If it’s that non porous it’s probably just gonna run off.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

Not sure what kind of geology yall have down there but 10 years seems like an awful long time. Even in central PA with its caverns and sinks everywhere, the cycle is like 6 months. If it’s that non porous it’s probably just gonna run off.

It was several years ago that this information was passed along to MD water users. At the time, and now, I'm guessing it was propaganda to make everyone stop watering tomatoes and stop washing cars.

 

[6xAdams(Jones)]

It was several years ago that this information was passed along to MD water users. At the time, and now, I'm guessing it was propaganda to make everyone stop watering tomatoes and stop washing cars.

As for geology, where I live you have a choice of sand or hardpack clay. Not much in between. I expect western MD is typical of most of PA.

 

[Bamboozle]

The soil in the area where I live is so rocky it perks like nobody's business. We don't don't need a sand mound or a sump pump and my basement stays dry as bone regardless of how much rain we get.

During the last storm it was 2+ inches...

The trade off is you need a pick ax to plant petunias but I'll take that problem any day over a flooded basement or a dried up well...

 

[Nocktavius]

The soil in the area where I live is so rocky it perks like nobody's business. We don't don't need a sand mound or a sump pump and my basement stays dry as bone regardless of how much rain we get.

During the last storm it was 2+ inches...

The trade off is you need a pick ax to plant petunias but I'll take that problem any day over a flooded basement or a dried up well...

Raised garden beds FTW

 

[DaveKile]

In Maryland, the drought discussion typically includes underground aquifer replenishment - which we're told by the state means that the rain that falls now, takes ~10 years to percolate into the aquifers. Is this also part of the DEP declarations?
(Just curious. I'm not an expert.)

I lived in Central Maryland and had a well. Our wells were 80 to ~200+ feet were I lived. We were effected by droughts (rarely), but the water tables at those levels did adjust at times. It depended on the well seasonly and from year to year. I never had a problem, but my neighbor did a few houses away. Most issues went away after the drought for them pretty quickly. Not days, but not decades either.

Not sure at what depth they were referring to a ten year influence, but it wasn't at the well draw levels that I'm aware of in Maryland.