Drought Forces Pennsylvania to Impose Water Restrictions
Gov. Thomas J. Ridge on Wednesday imposed mandatory restrictions on water use over much of the state, the latest of several steps taken by officials in the drought-parched Northeast.
The measures were imposed in 32 counties in eastern and north-central Pennsylvania, an area covering about 6.5 million people, including residents of Philadelphia.
Nonessential water uses, such as watering lawns, washing cars and filling swimming pools, are banned, and restaurants were asked to stop serving water unless a patron asks for it.
“While Pennsylvania communities and citizens are to be commended for their water conservation efforts, it simply hasn’t been enough to prevent a drought emergency,” Ridge told a news conference.
Authorities last week restricted water availability to New York City and northern New Jersey as part of a drought warning issued over portions of four states drained by the Delaware River. Several local authorities have also imposed water conservation measures.
For weeks a drought has gripped the Northeast from Virginia to Maine, with too little summer rain after a winter of dramatically low snowfall.
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