Raritan Headwaters has called on Gov. Chris Christie to declare a drought emergency after the state's largest reservoir, Round Valley, fell to its lowest level ever. Watch video
BEDMINSTER - Raritan Headwaters has called on Gov. Chris Christie to declare a drought emergency for northern and central New Jersey after the state's largest reservoir, Round Valley, fell to its lowest level ever.
"An unfortunate new record was set on November fourth, when the water level in Round Valley Reservoir dropped to 67.1 percent of capacity, below the previous record of 67.2 percent set in November 1982," said Cindy Ehrenclou, executive director of the township-based nonprofit. "We're deeply concerned about this drought, and believe Governor Christie should take strong action for water conservation by upgrading large parts of New Jersey from 'drought warning' to 'water emergency'."
A drought emergency would require mandatory water conservation measures in affected counties, according to the organization.
As of Tuesday, the reservoir is at 66.1-percent of its 55 billion gallon capacity. A total of 319 million gallons of water has been released from the reservoir over the past seven days, according to the New Jersey Water Supply Authority.
N.J.'s largest reservoir drops to lowest level on record
Nearby Spruce Run Reservoir, the state's third-largest, is at 32.7-percent of its 11 billion gallon capacity as of Tuesday. Its record low (28.2-percent) was set on Oct. 18, 1993.
"We at Raritan Headwaters don't see the drought situation improving in the near future," said Bill Kibler, Raritan Headwaters' policy director. "State Climatologist David Robinson has predicted warmer than average temperatures over the next three months - which will mean more evaporation - along with average precipitation."
In October, the New Jersey Highlands Coalition released a video of flyovers of the two reservoirs located in Hunterdon County, as well as the Wanaque and Monksville reservoirs in Passaic County.
That video followed the state Department of Environmental Protection declaring a drought warning for 14 New Jersey counties on Oct. 21. The drought, the worst in 14 years, has resulted in warnings in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union and Warren counties. Drought watches remain in effect for Burlington, Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties.
The state Department of Environmental Protection said it continues to provide updates at njdrought.org. The DEP also maintains a site that lists the current drought status of each of the six regions in New Jersey and has also posted information on ways to conserve water.
DEP Commissioner Bob Martin said at the time the warning the next step would be a water emergency. When the warning was put into effect, the DEP also announced it would be working with water utilities in the northern and central part of the state to ensure no supplier or region would end up with a "significant shortfall" should the drought continue.
"We're going to be in a real bind next spring if the State Climatologist's predictions are correct, so the time to address this is now," Kibler said. "Now is the time to tighten our belts."
It would take above-average rain or snow for several months to bring the region out of a drought, Kibler said.
"I like to use the analogy of a household budget," said Kibler. "I can't really change my income, at least in the short run. So if I can't keep up with bills, the only thing I can do is prioritize my spending and cut back somewhere.
"The same goes with our water supply. We can't control precipitation - we get what we get. The only thing we can do is look at the conservation side of the equation and learn how to budget our water use."
Kibler pointed out that groundwater levels drop as reservoir levels drop, so having a well is no protection from the impacts of a drought.
Raritan Headwaters offered these tips for water conservation:
- Run your dishwasher and washing machine only when they're full.
- Turn the faucet off when brushing your teeth or shaving.
- Fix leaky faucets, pipes and toilets.
- Take your car to a car wash instead of washing it at home, as car washes recycle their water.
- Keep a pitcher of drinking water in the refrigerator instead of running the tap to get the water cold.
- Opt for showers instead of baths, and keep your showers as short as possible to save thousands of gallons per month.
- If you run the tap to get water warm for a shower, collect the water and use it for other household purposes.
- Collect the water you use while rinsing fruits and vegetables, and use it for watering houseplants.
- Install low-flow showerheads, faucets and toilets.
Craig Turpin may be reached at cturpin@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @NJeditor. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
