New York City issued its first drought warning in 22 years on Monday after months of little rain — and will resume the flow of drinking water from an out-of-service plant aqueduct as supplies are running low.
The drought throughout the northeast is blamed for this Hundreds of bushfires. They had already asked New York City and state officials to do so Implement water conservation protocols as Mayor Eric Adams strengthened the drought warning and temporarily halted a $2 billion repair project for an aqueduct that had blocked the flow of drinking water from some reservoirs in the Catskill region.
Last week, a park on the northern tip of Manhattan caught fire, sending plumes of smoke across the city – less than a week after a wildfire in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
“New Yorkers should not underestimate the dry weather and its importance,” Adams said at a news conference, citing the recent fires. “The risk of fire is high and the risk of fire is real.”
The city may upgrade the warning to an emergency if the drought continues. In the event of a drought, residents and city authorities are required to reduce water use. Moving from a watch to an alert requires a number of conservation protocols, Adams said.
Water conservation measures planned for the coming weeks include washing buses and subways less often and limiting water use for fountains and golf courses, the mayor said.
“Our city vehicles may look a little dirtier and our subways may look a little dustier, but that’s exactly what we need to do to delay or avert a more serious drought disaster,” he said.
At the same time, New York Governor Kathy Hochul issued a statewide drought warning on Monday, placing 15 counties under drought warning status. She urged residents to conserve water whenever possible.
Shutting off a section of the Delaware Aqueduct to fix leaks had been in the works for years.
The aqueduct carries water over 85 miles (137 kilometers) from four reservoirs in the Catskill region to other reservoirs in the city’s northern suburbs.
Part of the aqueduct was shut down in early October but is now being reopened because water levels in the city’s reservoir system are too low to make up the difference, city Environmental Protection Department officials said.
The latest drought warning in New York City was issued in January 2002.