The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has declared a statewide drought watch. While not required, residents and businesses are encouraged to voluntarily conserve water by reducing their nonessential water use.

Rainfall is predicted this week, but officials say that won’t be a cure.

“Although this week has brought some welcome rain to much of the state, it’s not enough to make up for the lack of rainfall this spring, following a winter that brought little snowfall in many areas,” DEP Acting Secretary Rich Negrin said. “As a result, we’re seeing lowered stream flows, dropping groundwater levels and persistent precipitation deficits. Water conservation, always a good practice, is especially helpful now as it’ll lessen potential future impacts on water supplies if rainfall continues to be scant this summer.”

Residents and businesses are encouraged to reduce their nonessential water use by 5-10%.

For tips for residents as well as fact sheets on how businesses such as lawn care services, landscapers, hotels and restaurants can reduce water use, see the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Drought and WaterSense webpage.

Drought watch, warning and emergency status declarations aren’t based on one indicator alone, such as precipitation. DEP assesses information provided by public water suppliers and data on four hydrologic indicators: precipitation, surface water (stream and river) flow, groundwater level and soil moisture.

DEP monitors the indicators in close partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey, which maintains gages in streams and wells in many locations across Pennsylvania.

There are normal ranges for all four indicators. DEP makes drought status recommendations after assessing departures from these ranges and comparing this information to historical data.

For a map that’s updated daily to show the status of each indicator for each county, see the USGS Pennsylvania drought condition monitoring website.

Dry conditions also bring an increased fire risk.

The Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said there have already been 1,400 wildfires reported statewide so far in 2023, compared to 1,036 in all of 2022. This year’s wildfires have burned more than 8,500 acres, compared to 2,700 acres in 2022.

“We’ve had an unprecedented year for wildfires in the Commonwealth and we encourage all Pennsylvanians to act responsibly to prevent wildfires as dry conditions persist,” DCNR Secretary Cindy Adams Dunn said.

“Pennsylvania wildfires pose a threat to public health because of the smoke they create. Though significantly smaller than the 10-million-acre wildfires in Canada, Pennsylvania wildfires still create the same hazardous air conditions in the areas impacted.”

DCNR reminds Pennsylvanians that 99% of wildfires are caused by people.

DCNR is encouraging residents to understand the factors that increase the risk of wildfires, including an available fuel source, such as dried grass or leaves; dry conditions, including low relative humidity; and an ignition source to start the fire, such as sparks from an automobile, machine exhaust or burning trash.