Many New Yorkers have reason to be pleased with their luck this fall. They were able to experience Central Park’s vibrant October foliage under clear skies and go trick-or-treating on an unseasonably warm Halloween. And the sunny weather is expected to continue Sunday as runners take to the streets for the New York City Marathon.
While some New Yorkers might relish the streak of good weather, the city’s unusually dry autumn is becoming a problem for its water supply. On Saturday, Mayor Eric Adams announced a drought watch for New York City, urging residents to conserve water.
The announcement does not mandate any restrictions on water use, but in a social media video on Saturday, Mr. Adams asked city agencies to implement “water savings plans” and suggested that New Yorkers consider cutting back at the tap.
“Let’s do it together,” Mr. Adams said in the video. “Mother Nature’s in charge, and so we must make sure we adjust based on the lack of water and rain we have received.”
New York did not record any significant rainfall during the month of October, making for the second-longest dry spell in the city since 1869, according to a Saturday statement from the mayor’s office.
A drought watch, the lowest of the four tiers in New York State’s drought classification system, is implemented “when a drought is developing,” according to the State Environmental Conservation Department. If dry conditions persist, the state could declare a drought warning, emergency or disaster. Mandatory conservation requirements could kick in only at the third tier, in a drought emergency.
City officials, however, are pushing New Yorkers to start changing their behavior before things reach that point. Even taking small steps to save water can help prevent worse conditions later, said Meera Joshi, the city’s deputy mayor for operations, in the statement.
“When every New Yorker makes even small changes, like turning off the tap when washing hands, brushing teeth and doing dishes, we save millions of gallons by the minute,” Ms. Joshi said.
Zach Iscol, the commissioner of the city’s emergency management department, said in the same statement that his office was working with the city’s Environmental Protection Department to make sure New York had a plan to respond to drought conditions. “We all have a role to play in conserving our city’s water, one of our most precious resources,” he said.
The dry spell isn’t just affecting New York’s five boroughs. New Jersey and Connecticut are facing an unusual spate of wildfires fueled by the dry conditions. Firefighters in Connecticut have battled more than 80 fires since Oct. 21, and Gov. Ned Lamont declared a state of emergency last week. In New Jersey, there were more than 370 wildfires between mid-September and the end of October, more than 10 times the amount over the same period last year.
Areas to the north of New York City, including Westchester and parts of the Hudson Valley, are also under a drought watch advisory. That’s a problem for the city, according to Rohit T. Aggarwala, the commissioner of the Environmental Protection Department, since dry conditions mean “minimal inflow” to upstate reservoirs and watershed systems that supply New York’s water.
For New Yorkers interested in doing their part, the city has a list of water-saving tips online that includes taking shorter showers, reporting leaky fire hydrants and only running dishwashers when they’re full.
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