SULLIVAN COUNTY – Despite the recent precipitation in the form of snow and rain over the last couple of weeks, most of the state remains in a drought. That includes Sullivan County as part of Drought Region II, which is under a drought warning, the second of four levels of state drought advisories. 

The New York Department of Conservation (NYDEC) says that under a drought warning, voluntary water conservation is intensified and public water supplies and industries are advised to update and implement local drought contingency plans. 

Drought Region II was declared by the DEC to be under a Drought Warning beginning on Monday, November 18. The statewide burn ban was lifted on Sunday, December 1 after being instituted on Wednesday, November 13, but there has not been enough precipitation for the drought warning to be lifted. 

“New York’s drought advisories are intended primarily for guidance to public and private water suppliers and withdrawals,” the DEC website says. “If you are experiencing a water shortage, please contact your water supplier, local agricultural extension or local health department.”

The other counties along with Sullivan in Drought Region II that are currently under a Drought Warning are Delaware, Dutchess, Orange, Ulster, Putnam, Greene, Westchester, Rockland and Schoharie as well as the five boroughs.

As of Wednesday, December 4, the total Combined Storage (BG) of New York City Delaware River Basin Reservoirs, per the Delaware River Basin Commission, is currently at 138 (51.6 percent) of usable storage, well below the long-term median at just above 200 BG. The Neversink Reservoir is the lowest of the three reservoirs (Cannonsville, Pepacton) at 12.5 BG or 36 percent of usable storage. 

Despite these facts, the DRBC describes that the reservoir levels are currently in the “normal” range. Drought management and operating plans are implemented based on the volume of storage available in several key reservoirs. 

During drought conditions, the DRBC explains that they have several objectives, including preserving reservoir storage to protect water supply, managing the salt front to repel salinity, managing in-stream flows in the mainstem Delaware River and complementing state drought management programs. 

As the Democrat previously reported, the NYC Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) had announced a planned shutdown of the Delaware Aqueduct for a repair project, starting in October, but the project was paused in November due to the drought conditions. 

NYC Mayor Eric Adams announced the pausing of the $2 million repair project on November 18. The drought warning is the first to be issued in New York City since 2002.

The Hydrologic Conditions Dashboard for the Delaware River Basin is updated daily and can be found at nj.gov/drbc/programs/flow/ by clicking the first link under “Related Links” at the bottom of the page.