N.J. residents, groups urge state to take quick action to prevent serious water shortage

Don’t wait!
That was one of the key messages voiced by residents, environmental groups and even some water suppliers Tuesday during a special public hearing to address New Jersey’s severe drought situation and shrinking water capacity.
Many people who spoke at the hearing urged the state Department of Environmental Protection to move as quickly as possible in issuing a formal drought warning or declaring a rare, but more sweeping, drought emergency.
It appears the DEP is poised to issue a drought warning as early as Wednesday, because the agency has scheduled a press briefing for 11 a.m., saying it will “discuss the state entering drought warning status as prolonged dry periods continue statewide.”
Some attendees at Tuesday’s hearing, which was held virtually on Microsoft Teams, accused the state of waiting too long to take decisive steps to ensure New Jersey has enough water capacity for drinking, watering crops and fighting the many large wildfires that have erupted because of the extremely dry conditions.
Although the office of Gov. Phil Murphy issued a drought watch on Oct. 17, the watch simply asked residents and businesses to voluntarily conserve water. It did not include mandatory water-use restrictions — something several speakers at Tuesday’s hearing said is needed soon.
“I would really like to move to a drought emergency so that we stop people from watering their lawns,” said Tim Eustace, executive director of the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission, which oversees a major water network in Passaic County that includes the huge Wanaque Reservoir.
“We at Wanaque are at about 45% capacity at the moment,” Eustace said, “and I have to agree that using drinking water to water lawns is kind of crazy. It always has been.”
He was referring to concerns expressed by some residents and environmentalists that millions of gallons of drinkable water are used each day by people watering their grass.
Some speakers also expressed concerns about whether the shrinking flow of streams and rivers, and low aquifer levels in some parts of the state, may be adding to the risk of water contamination.
A reporter from the Associated Press asked the DEP whether any towns or cities in New Jersey face an imminent danger of running out of drinking water or enough water to battle fires.
The DEP called it a technical question and didn’t offer an immediate response.
Among the people who spoke in favor of mandatory water restrictions was Doug O’Malley, director of an environmental advocacy group called Environment New Jersey.
“I would say for an average member of the public, the difference between a drought warning or drought watch, or even a drought emergency isn’t especially clear,” O’Malley said. “That being said, when someone tells you that you can’t water your lawn, that gets people’s attention. That’s honestly where we need to go.”
He said the low reservoir capacity “should be a blinking red light” to state officials that emergency measures need to be taken.
The public hearing was prompted by the steady drop of water storage levels in many areas of the state as serious drought conditions linger with no end in sight.
New Jersey State Climatologist David Robinson noted the state faces substantial rainfall deficits, as much as 10 inches in places like New Brunswick, because of the historic stretch of dry weather our region has experienced for several months.
Although New Jersey had some rain in September, it ended up being the state’s third driest September on record, with stats going all the way back to 1895.
That was followed by a nearly rain-free October — which wasn’t only the driest October on record but also the driest of any month ever recorded in New Jersey, Robinson said at the drought hearing.
And the dry spell has continued, with very little rain falling during the first 12 days of November. Although there’s a slight chance of showers Thursday night, no rain is in the forecast for most of the next five days.
Based on the current water storage levels — with some of the biggest reservoirs around the state at or near record lows — the DEP may issue a formal drought warning, technically known as a “water supply drought warning,” in a matter of days.
The DEP called the long period of extremely dry weather “unprecedented” and said the lack of rain has led to “rapidly worsening water supply indicators.”
Making the situation even worse is the rash of wildfires, with firefighters battling hundreds of blazes in recent weeks fueled by very dry brush, low humidity and gusty winds.
More than a half-dozen wildfires continue to burn on Tuesday, including a massive fire that has spread to nearly 3,500 acres in northern New Jersey and nearby Orange County in New York.
A drought warning would give the DEP greater authority to ensure that water suppliers distribute and transfer enough drinking water to each region of the state, particularly the areas with the lowest supplies. It also would allow the state to order water companies to develop alternative sources of water.
A drought emergency — which is more serious and more rare than a warning — would allow the governor to order mandatory restrictions, or even a ban, on certain uses of water.
The DEP, which is responsible for monitoring and managing water supplies in collaboration with public and private water providers, noted that a water supply drought refers to reductions in water supplies, like reservoirs, streams and groundwater.
“A water supply drought determination is based upon a lack of precipitation, rapidly declining storage in the combined capacity of major surface water supply reservoirs, and/or severely depleted ground water levels and streamflows,” the agency said.
In October 2016, the state DEP issued a drought warning for 14 counties in northern and central New Jersey amid major rainfall deficits and shrinking water supplies.
Prior to that, the last drought warning in the state was issued in November 2001, covering 13 counties. That warning was expanded to cover seven additional counties in January 2002 and was followed by a rare drought emergency declared by then-Gov. James McGreevey in March 2002.
For more details about the state’s current drought status, reservoir levels and water conservation tips, the DEP said residents can check this website: njdrought.org.
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at [email protected] or on X at @LensReality.