DUNCANNON, Pa. — A Perry County borough is asking residents to reduce water use due to lower water levels in its water system.
The Borough of Duncannon on Tuesday issued the request, noting that Perry County is one of 36 counties recently put under drought watch by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Dauphin, Juniata, Lebanon, and Mifflin counties are other Central Pennsylvania counties included in the state's drought watch list.
Residents on drought watch have been asked to reduce their individual water use by 5% to 10%, or a reduction of three to six gallons of water per day, according to the state DEP.
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.
"Over the course of several weeks, the borough’s water system has experienced a gradual drop in the amount of water (in) our storage facilities," the Duncannon borough office said in a press release. "Therefore, water levels in the standpipe and reservoir have reached alarmingly low levels which may have the potential to impact the borough’s ability to provide water service to some or all of its customers in the coming days if the trend continues."
The borough is asking all water customers to take "immediate and significant" action to conserve water and to stop any non-essential water usage, including the washing of vehicles, watering of lawns, and filling and/or topping off of swimming pools or hot tubs.
The borough said by increasing water conservation efforts, residents can extend the water supply until the situation is resolved.
