SOMERSET —
The state Department of Environmental Protection on Thursday issued a drought watch for Somerset County and 14 other counties in western Pennsylvania.
A drought watch declaration is the first and least severe level of the state’s three dought classifications. It calls for a voluntary five percent reduction in nonessential water usage and puts large water consumers on notice to begin planning for the possibility of reduced water supplies.
“A hot, dry summer made it necessary to take this first step of declaring a drought watch in the affected counties,’ said DEP Secretary Mike Krancer. “This measure will alert the public and water suppliers that there are voluntary, common-sense ways to conserve.”
The other counties are Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Crawford, Erie Fayette, Forest, Greene, Lawrence, Mercer, Venango, Warren and Washington.
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