Drought in New Jersey, December 1 to 31, 2001

Dry mild weather continued for the third consecutive month across the region. The total average rainfall for December was 2.35 inches or 58 percent of normal. The total average rainfall from October through December was 4.39 inches, which was a deficit of 7.50 inches. Rainfall was below average for the last six consecutive months, which yielded an average deficit of 10.36 inches.The combined storage in the 13 major water supply reservoirs serving northeast New Jersey was 47.4 percent capacity, which was 30 percent below normal. Current levels stopped declining, comparable to the 1998-1999 drought levels. Capacities in the individual systems at the end of the month were:Newark Reservoirs 44.2% (percent capacity)Jersey City Reservoirs 53.1%North Jersey District 44.5%United Water of New Jersey 53.6%Streamflows in New Jersey remained below normal at USGS index stations. The average monthly mean discharge at these index stations was 32.8 percent of normal.Groundwater levels in New Jersey, as measured in water table observation wells, were below normal at all three USGS index wells.The New Jersey State Department of Environmental Protection continued the drought watch for Passaic, Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union Counties during December. On December 18th, the Delaware River Basin Commission declared a drought emergency for the Delaware Watershed. Under this emergency declaration, the commission may call for releases from federal, state, and privately-owned reservoirs to bolster flows in the Delaware River and tributary streams.