NYC Raised To Drought Warning

By Idy Perl

Mayor Adams and the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala have elevated the citywide drought watch to a drought warning as the longest recorded rainless streak continues. 

Although the weather forecast is predicting that rain will start on Wednesday night and continue through Friday, there will only be around an inch of rainfall. At this point NYC needs 8 inches of rain to return to normal levels. Although the rain will help, it won’t completely relieve the drought conditions. 

Mayor Adams has paused the $2 billion Delaware Aqueduct Repair Project and has ordered the aqueduct to be reopened so that the city can receive water from additional reservoirs. Various city agencies have implemented drought protocols, and all NYC residents are urged to conserve water whenever possible. 

"As our city and watershed continues to experience significant precipitation shortages, today, I'm upgrading our drought watch to a drought warning, pausing our Delaware Aqueduct repair project, and ordering our agencies to immediately implement water saving measures," Mayor Adams said. "Our city vehicles may look a bit dirtier, and our subways may look a bit dustier, but it's what we have to do to delay or stave off a more serious drought emergency. We need New Yorkers to continue to save water too, so we can water our parks and fill our pools this coming summer. New Yorkers always look out for each other. We are resilient and we will get through this together."