New data released from the U.S. Geological Survey on Thursday, Nov. 21, revealed water supplies are being threatened in at least one part of the country. In the Northeast, severe drought conditions have left rivers, channels and reservoirs at historically low levels.
Hydrologists are especially concerned because fall is typically when they see bodies of water at their highest levels as they replenish from heavy use during the summer months.
One environmental expert noted, the massive dry up is something one would only “expect to see once every 100 years.”
For example, the Cambridge Reservoir in Massachusetts, which can reportedly hold up to 1.5 billion gallons of water currently sits at just 50% capacity.
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Officials warn that small communities that manage their own water supplies are at the greatest risk as water levels in smaller reservoirs typically dry up at much faster rates than larger reservoirs.
The dry conditions have prompted New Jersey to issue its first drought warning in nearly a decade and for New York City to follow suit by issuing its first drought warning in more than 20 years.
Earlier this week, NYC paused a $2 billion project to repair an aqueduct that supplies water to half its residents and other communities in the Hudson Valley as Mayor Eric Adams, D, cited extremely dry conditions.
Even with more rain in the forecast in the coming days, officials caution it may take months to recover from the drought, and if conditions worsen, they did not rule out mandatory water usage restrictions.
High winds combined with little to no rain have also fueled wildfires in New Jersey and New York, leading to at least one death, in a region typically known to be “water rich.”
