READING, Pa.- Berks County is in familiar territory this year, once again facing a drought warning.
“We are in this period of dryness that has gone on way too long,” says Reading Area Water Authority Executive Director Bill Murray.
“This is the 16th driest record for June over the past 132 years, so we’re 16th worst. That tells you it’s bad and it’s the 8th driest year [for]132 years,” added Murray.
The Executive Director says the issue goes well beyond the surface water, and the problem isn’t a quick fix.
“It may sound crazy, but we need like a tropical storm,” says Murray. “I don’t want to wish for a hurricane, but a nice tropical storm with no damage to anybody and a whole lot of water would really help us with our aquifers,” he said.
Last year, RAWA had to figure out how to navigate directives on how to manage the drought from agencies like the Department of Environmental Protection and the Delaware River Basin Commission while protecting the water supply for customers.
“We saw last year that Reading responds,” says Murray. “We really do believe that.”
The water authority says it still makes a big difference when people do their part to conserve water. It could be as simple as making sure the dishwasher is completely full before running it, or turning the water off while brushing your teeth.
“They’re one person, and if they can reduce their usage by 50 or 100 gallons and you do that over 115,000 people, it adds up,” says Murray.
To learn more about the drought you can go to www.drought.gov