The Pennsylvania Drought Task Force has announced that Lawrence and 32 other counties are under a Drought Watch.

A Drought Watch is typically declared for a county with three of the four factors in a “watch” status, including stream flow, groundwater level, precipitation, and soil moisture.

Residents under a Watch are encouraged, but not required, to voluntarily reduce their water use by five to ten percent.

Other Pennsylvania Counties under the Drought Watch include Adams, Allegheny, Beaver, Bucks, Butler, Carbon, Chester, Clearfield,  Columbia, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Fayette, Franklin, Greene, Indiana, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Somerset, Washington, Westmoreland and York.

“Pennsylvania received very little rain over September and October, capping off a dry six months, particularly in the southeast part of the state. DEP makes drought declarations based on long-term trends; a rainy week may not lift the drought status for an area,” said DEP Acting Secretary Jessica Shirley.

Berks and Schuylkill counties are under a Drought Warning due to consistent dry conditions. The Drought Task Force is monitoring other areas of the state.

“Much of the Commonwealth is at a high risk for fire danger as a result of dry conditions, and it is critical that Pennsylvanians use extreme caution when handling fire or avoid any burning as these conditions persist,” Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said.

There are several different stages of drought declaration that can be declared by the Commonwealth: Drought Watch, Drought Warning, and Drought Emergency.

Other drought levels include;

Drought Warning – a Drought Warning is typically declared for a county with 3 of the four indicators in “warning” status. Residents are encouraged, but not required, to reduce their water use by 10-15 percent.

Drought Emergency – if conditions become more severe a Drought Emergency can be declared by the Governor and emergency water restrictions can be implemented. In the unlikely event of a drought emergency, water suppliers and/or municipal governments will guide residents about water use and conservation.

DEP will not implement mandatory water use restrictions outside of a Drought Emergency. Individual public water systems may implement their own conservation measures.