Dry conditions are beginning to be felt in northern Delaware.
Delaware Environmental Secretary David Small said water conservation practices by businesses and residents are aiding northern New Castle County water supplies as rainfall remains below normal.
A forecast calls for rain this week, but it would take a number of storms to make up for the low stream flows.
“Conserving water in any number of ways whenever possible can help offset the lack of rainfall for northern Delaware and watersheds in adjacent southeastern Pennsylvania, and will help maintain existing water supply levels,” Small said. “Our water supply is a precious natural and economic resource, and is a resource which Delaware residents have a direct influence on preserving through conservation-minded water use.”
Water conditions for northern Delaware were reported Nov. 21 during a teleconference with northern New Castle County water utilities.
All utilities reported that demand is normal and that there is sufficient water supply at this time.
“The water supply is sufficient because of investments in storage in northern Delaware made by water purveyors over the past decade,” said John Barndt, DNREC Water Supply Section, program manager.
He noted that the Delaware Geological Survey reported that stream flows in northern New Castle County remain very low, and groundwater there continues declining toward below-normal levels.
DNREC’s Water Supply Section has called an emergency meeting of the state’s Water Supply Coordinating Council for Tuesday, Dec. 13 to discuss and assess the state’s water supply and how current conditions are affecting it.
Eastern Pennsylvania, much of New Jersey, and western New York are experiencing drought conditions that prompted the Delaware River Basin Commission, comprising those three states and Delaware, to vote unanimously today to declare a basin-wide drought watch effective immediately.
The resolution behind the drought watch called for encouraging all residents and business users of basin water supplies “to maximize water efficiency to preserve and protect the basin’s water supplies.”
Delaware State Climatologist Dan Leathers emphasized that the primary concern for northern Delaware is the deficit in precipitation experienced in the headwaters of the Christina River Basin, including the Red Clay, White Clay and Brandywine Creek watersheds.
During the last six months, only 75 to 90 percent of normal precipitation has fallen across these watersheds, with the northern portion of each watershed experiencing even greater deficits of 50 to 75 percent of normal precipitation.
Also, during the last six months, the temperature in the Christina Basin has averaged 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit above normal, making it the warmest such period since 1948. The high temperatures have increased evaporation and transpiration.
DNREC Secretary Small noted that reservoirs in northern Delaware, interconnections between the public water systems, and use of aquifer storage and recovery and other enhancements were designed to allow northern Delaware to be more resilient to periodic extended dry weather events.
Since the state’s Water Supply Coordinating Council was established in 1999, the state and water utilities that comprise the council have increased New Castle County’s water supply by an additional two billion gallons of water.
Hoopes Reservoir on the northern edge of Delaware has been expanded, and Newark built a reservoir.
Weekly meetings of the water agencies and utilities will be held until conditions return to normal, while the Water Supply Coordinating Council will be convened as necessary, a DNREC release stated.
