Jersey declares drought watch; Pa. next?

Don't fret about the brown grass, loosen the grip on that faucet, cram the plates into the dishwasher.

Responding to the intensifying dry spell, New Jersey has declared a statewide drought watch, asking residents to cut water use voluntarily.

Across the river, Pennsylvania plans to convene a meeting of the federal-state drought task force to decide what, if any, actions to take.

In the last 30 days, rainfall has been below normal in in 19 of 21 New Jersey counties, and 59 of Pennsylvania's 67, according to the National Weather Service.

Overall, New Jersey just experienced its driest summer since 1966, a period of mega-drought, said David A. Robinson, the Rutgers University professor who is the state climatologist.

Officially, Philadelphia is in its 16th consecutive day without rainfall, and precipitation for the last 30 days is about 30 percent of normal. The extended forecast calls for about a 100 percent chance of sun into the weekend.

Conspiring with the cumulative effects of summer heat, the dry spell has turned lawns brown and caused a premature outbreak of leaf-blower use.

New Jersey recommends that residents take such measures as cutting back on lawn-watering, holding off on those at-home car washes, jam-packing dishwashers, and not running the faucet while brushing teeth.

Water-use restrictions imposed last month in Moorestown and Burlington Townships remain in effect.

Pennsylvania has not yet decided when to convene the drought task force meeting, said DEP spokesman Tom Rathbun. But it bears watching.

On July 9 Pennsylvania announced it would hold a task force meeting. During the next five days, over 5 inches of rain fell.