Emergency Management

DEP Declares Drought Watch for 36 Counties, Asks for Voluntary Water Conservation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 31, 2022

Map included

DEP Declares Drought Watch for 36 Counties, Asks for Voluntary Water Conservation

Harrisburg, PA –The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) today announced the Commonwealth Drought Task Force has declared a drought watch for 36 counties and asks for voluntary water conservation in those counties.

“A few counties have experienced very dry conditions over the summer, and a number of others have inched into increasingly dry conditions in recent weeks. We’re asking Pennsylvanians in all of these counties to use water wisely and follow simple water conservation tips to ease the demand for water,” said DEP Acting Secretary Ramez Ziadeh.

The following counties are on drought watch: Berks, Bucks, Bradford, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Dauphin, Delaware, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lebanon, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, McKean, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Potter, Schuylkill, Snyder, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wayne, and Wyoming. For a map of drought declarations that’s updated daily, see the DEP drought web page.

Residents on drought watch are asked to reduce their individual water use by 5 to 10%, or a reduction of three to six gallons of water per day.

DEP is notifying all water suppliers in these counties of the need to monitor their supplies and be prepared by updating their drought contingency plans as necessary. Varying localized conditions may lead water suppliers or municipalities to ask residents for more stringent conservation actions.

At this time, two public water suppliers are requiring residents to reduce their water use: Galeton Borough Water Authority in Potter County and Waterville Water Association in Lycoming County.

Six suppliers are asking residents to voluntarily reduce their water use:

  • BCI Municipal Authority, Clearfield County
  • Driftwood Boro, Cameron County
  • Jersey Shore Area Joint Water Authority, Lycoming County
  • Lock Haven, Clinton County
  • Palmerton Municipal Water Authority, Carbon County
  • Pennsylvania American Water Company – Bangor District, Carbon County

Ways to Conserve Water at Home

There are many ways to conserve water at home, including:

  • Run water only when necessary. Don’t let the faucet run while brushing your teeth or shaving. Shorten the time you let the water run to warm up before showering.
  • Run the dishwasher and washing machine less often, and only with full loads.
  • Water your garden in the cooler evening or morning hours, and direct the water to the ground at the base of the plant, so you don’t waste water through evaporation.
  • Water your lawn only if necessary. Apply no more than 1 inch of water per week (use an empty can to determine how long it takes to water 1 inch). Avoid watering on windy and hot days. This pattern will encourage healthier, deeper grass roots. Over-watering is wasteful, encourages fungal growth and disease, and results in shallow, compacted root systems that are more susceptible to drought.
  • When mowing your lawn, set the blades to 2-3 inches high. Longer grass shades the soil, improving moisture retention. It also grows thicker and develops a deeper root system, so it can better survive drought.
  • Check for and repair household leaks. For example, a leaking toilet can waste up to 200 gallons of water daily.
  • Sweep your sidewalk, deck, or driveway instead of hosing it off.
  • Replace older appliances with high-efficiency, front-loading models that use about 30 percent less water and 40-50 percent less energy.
  • Install low-flow plumbing fixtures and aerators on faucets.
  • Set up a rain barrel to be ready to repurpose rain when it does fall. For information, see this Penn State Extension guide.

Find more tips at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

How DEP Determines Drought Conditions

To determine drought conditions, DEP assesses information on public water supply levels and data on four indicators: precipitation, surface water (stream and river) flow, groundwater level, and soil moisture. Declarations aren’t based on one indicator alone, such as precipitation.

The DEP Drought Coordinator monitors the indicators in close partnership with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which maintains gauges 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 for all indicators for periods of 3-12 months. For a map that’s updated daily to show the status of all four indicators for each county, see the USGS Pennsylvania drought condition monitoring website.

DEP shares these data and its recommendations with the state and federal agencies and other organizations that make up the Commonwealth Drought Task Force. Drought watch and warning declarations are determined by DEP, with the concurrence of the task force.

Drought emergency declarations follow the same process, with final approval by the governor.  No county is in drought warning or emergency status at this time.

For more information on how DEP monitors conditions and makes drought status declarations, see the drought management fact sheet.

The next Commonwealth Drought Task Force meeting will be on Tuesday, September 13, 2022, at 1:00 PM.

MEDIA CONTACT: Deb Klenotic, 717-783-9954

 

Snow Emergency Declared

Due to the pending snow storm forecast for Wednesday, December 16th, 2020, Tilden Township has declared a snow emergency and is requesting persons with vehicles parked on West State Street, Lincoln Drive, Ruth Street, Kathryn Street, Marion Street, Yoder Street, Carl Street, Hazel Street, Clayton Avenue, Moonlight Drive, Sunrise Drive, Rainbow Drive or Sunset Drive, please remove all your vehicles from the street by 11am Wednesday morning December 16th and keep them off the road until further notice is given.

This enables our road crew to more efficiently remove snow from the roadway in certain areas.

The Township appreciates your cooperation. Thank you.

Extension of Emergency Declaration

On 03/20/2020, the Tilden Township Board of Supervisors issued a Proclamation of Local Disaster Emergency pertaining to the novel coronavirus COVID-19 world-wide pandemic. By design, these last 7 days and must be extended each time.

03/27/2020, the Board of Supervisors extended the proclamation another 7 days.

Click below for the document:

Tilden_Proclamation_of_Local_Disaster_Emergency_03-27-2020

Office closure

Release date: 03/16/2020

TILDEN TOWNSHIP MUNICIPAL OFFICE

In keeping with CDC and PA DOH guidelines regarding the coronavirus, the Tilden Township Municipal Office, 874 Hex Highway, will be closed to the public until Monday, 03/30/2020 at 8.am.

The office will continue to be staffed and available by phone or email during regular business hours.

Please use the front door dropbox for any sewer or tax payments. If you need to drop off plans or anything else that does not fit in the dropbox, please call the office at 610-562-7410 to schedule an appointment.

The Tilden Township tax collector’s office will only be open during the scheduled times printed on the tax bills.

The Tilden Township Planning Commission meeting scheduled for 03/17/2020 has been canceled.

TILDEN TOWNSHIP POLICE DEPARTMENT

As of today, the lobby of the Tilden Township Police Department, 870 Hex Highway, will be closed to the public until Monday, 03/30/2020 at 8.am.

For emergencies, always call 911.

For non-emergencies requiring a police response, call Berks County dispatch at 610-655-4911.

For other business, call the police office at 610-562-9001.

Coronavirus (COVID-19)

While the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the immediate risk to the general American public for contracting the coronavirus (COVID-19) remains low, they suggest that now is the time for communities to start preparing.

To stay up to date and informed on official coronavirus (COVID-19) developments, you can sign up for the latest CDC updates here:

https://www.cdc.gov/Other/emailupdates/.

Below are the CDC’s prevention tips:

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating, after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, and certainly if your commute includes public transit.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if your hands are visibly dirty.
  • Face masks should be used by people who show symptoms of COVID-19 to help prevent the spread of the disease to others. The purpose of a face mask is to prevent droplets from sneezing and coughing from becoming airborne.

A wealth of information about COVID-19 is available on the CDC website here:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

Fact Sheet:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/2019-ncov-factsheet.pdf