When you dig a deep enough hole, it takes time to get out of it: That’s the message officials are sending to the public concerning the ongoing drought in New Jersey.
The latest report from the U.S. Drought Monitor, as of Jan. 28, is that all of the Garden State remains at some level of drought, with Cape May County still 100% under extreme drought conditions.
The recent rain and snow have improved the state picture, mostly in the north, but one-third of the state remains in extreme drought.
The state finds itself in roughly one-third moderate drought in the far north, one-third severe drought in the center and along the Delaware River, and one-third extreme drought in the south and along most of the coast, with all of Cape May and Atlantic counties, most of Ocean, Cumberland and Burlington, and parts of Salem, Gloucester and Camden counties in that category.
The state Department of Environmental Protection is asking the public to continue to engage in voluntary water conservation measures. The agency is also maintaining its water supply warning alert, which means it may issue orders to water system operators to control water supplies in the most affected regions. The water supply warning was first issued in November.
The DEP says that “below average precipitation conditions remain the dominant weather pattern statewide.”
Contact the reporter, Vince Conti, at vonti@cmcherald.com.
