Drought Alert for Issued for Most of New Hampshire

CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services has issued a drought alert for much of the state, including Hillsborough, Merrimack, and Rockingham Counties, according to an alert. James Martin, the public information officer for the NHDES, noted that a combination of a below average snowpack in the spring, little precipitation to recharge the groundwater, an increase of evapotranspiration in the summer, and the inability of New Hampshire watersheds to store large volumes of water due to their geology, has landed the northern half of the state in abnormally dry conditions and the southern half in severe drought. A state climatologist – Mary Stampone – told officials late last month that the drought conditions would likely persist until the fall, necessitating the alert on Aug. 3, 2016, asking Granite Staters to conserve water.

“To protect water supplies, over 100 public water systems in New Hampshire have implemented outdoor water use restrictions or bans in their service areas,” Martin noted. “If you reside in an area of severe drought, which currently includes the following counties: Belknap, Cheshire, Hillsborough, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford and Sullivan, and your water supplier has not issued a restriction or if you are a private homeowner on your own well, NHDES urges you to refrain from using water outdoors except for hand watering of vegetable gardens until precipitation mitigates drought conditions.”

Martin said it was important to save water for essential uses – drinking, cooking and cleaning of clothes and dishes – while also limiting non-essential uses such as watering of lawns.

“(It) is the most effective way to sustain water supplies until enough rain is received to replenish water sources,” he noted.

New Hampshire hasn’t experienced a drought like this since 2001 and 2003. Since that time, Martin added, suppliers have adopted water restrictions and also invested in backup supplies. Some cities and towns also issued bans earlier than normal.

“Lessons have been learned from past droughts and tools have been put in place to help avoid water shortage emergencies, but we really are at the mercy of the weather” stated Stacey Herbold, NHDES Water Conservation Program. “The fact is there is nothing we can do to replenish our water supplies. There is no rainmaker. For now, the best we can do is limit our use to essentials and let the lawn go dormant until rainier days come.”

For updates on drought conditions and outdoor water use restrictions; water efficiency tips; and drought guidance for municipalities, public water systems, and homeowners, visit des.nh.gov/ and scroll through the “A-Z List” to the “Drought Management Program.”