PEP May 2002: Drought Emergency

A dry season has left upstate reservoirs 60 percent below capacity. Since April 1, the city's been in a Stage 1 Drought Emergency with mandatory water saving rules in effect.

By DIANE S. WILLIAMS

Ashokan Reservoir lies in a valley of the Catskill Mountains, a two-hour drive north of New York City. The area, one of the largest freshwater sources in the country, usually provides 350 million gallons of drinking water a day to the Big Apple and its surrounding counties.

When the reservoir is full, its blue waters reach to just below the guardhouse bridge. But an unpredictably dry autumn and a snowless winter failed to replenish upstate water sources this spring.

By April, the waters had receded and bared slate crags and driftwood. As the water level fell, small dusty islands appeared, dotting the reservoir basin.

The city's upstate reservoirs are at 40 percent of their capacity; normally they would be 90 percent full.
With chances unlikely that the region will get the 25 inches of rain needed to quench the parched reserves, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg declared a Stage 1 Drought Emergency April 1.

WATER CONSERVATION RULES

The mayor has declared a Stage 1 Drought Emergency. Follow these regulations:

No washing of vehicles.
No washing of sidewalks or driveways.
Watering of lawns is restricted to 7-9 a.m. and 7-9 p.m. on even dates for even numbered addresses and on odd dates for odd numbered addresses.
Golf courses may water only tees and greens.
Ornamental fountains must be turned off.
Private swimming pools may be filled, but if the city enters later stages, this will be prohibited.
"SAVE WATER" signs must be posted in all buildings except residential properties under five units

TO SAVE MORE WATER

Note that three-quarters of the water
we use each day flows through the bathroom. Check for bathroom leaks.
Turn the faucet off while brushing teeth or shaving.
Run your dishwasher only when full.

The situation is urgent: Without strict conservation, a protracted dry spell would drain the city's reservoirs. The Dept. of Environmental Protection and local police are to enforce restrictions on water use. "The city is in the midst of the worst drought it has experienced in a decade," said the mayor.

To protect the water supply from further erosion and contamination, DEP Watershed Maintainers, Supervisors and Engineers from Locals 376, 1322 and 375 are undergoing training and certification. They are prepared to treat and purify water and upgrade pumping station systems that could be used, should drought conditions worsen.

Veteran Maintainer Bill Quinlan remembers the Chelsea pumping station, a Hudson River viaduct that was last used in the drought of 1989. If the drought continues, DEP could reopen Chelsea to allow more than 100 million gallons of water to flow into downstate reservoirs.

Continued conservation is key
In the meantime, DEP crews maintain area bridges, remove debris, stones and sand that can clog drains and dam delicate streams that flow into the Ashokan.

"I want to thank the Watershed Maintainers and other members of DC 37, who work so hard to conserve and protect our resources and to keep our water supply infrastructure operating efficiently," said DEP Commissioner Christopher O. Ward.

New York residents have pitched in by voluntarily conserving water. Such measures have reduced usage by some 30 million gallons a day.

The average person uses around 60 gallons of water daily, and more stringent measures have been ordered (see box) to further reduce water use.

As the summer months arrive and we wait for rain, New Yorkers must continue to conserve, conserve, conserve.