STATE ISSUES MODERATE DROUGHT CONDITION UPDATE

With the dry weather so far in June and low winter snowpack, the U.S. Drought Monitor this week elevated the southern half of the state from “Abnormally Dry” to “Moderate Drought” conditions, so NH DES is implementing the State Drought Management Plan to coordinate the State Drought Management Team of state, federal, regional and municipal agencies, including the Portsmouth DPW Water Division. Ongoing actions include: assessing reservoir impacts and adjusting operations, working with drinking water systems statewide and ensuring the public is informed of the impacts and conservation measures that should be employed now to avoid serious problems later in the summer. As more households are watering lawns and new flower vegetable gardens, the DPW Water/Stormwater Division encourages residents to “Think Blue” and consider some of these water-saving measures you can practice at home. https://www.cityofportsmouth.com/publicworks/stormwater/what-can-you-do-about-water-conservation-and-stormwater-pollution  

For the US Drought Monitor map for NH, click here. https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?NH