Drought in Maryland, January 1 to 31, 2002

January 2002 continued the dry pattern that established during the second half of 2001 in Maryland. While January was the wettest month for the state since September, it was still drier than normal. On a county weighted average, monthly precipitation totals ranged from 2.2 inches in Queen Anne's County to 2.8 inches in Cecil County. Normal is around 3.3 inches. The Eastern Shore has received only 41 percent of normal precipitation since September 1st. Stream flows and groundwater levels were even lower than they were in December. There has also been an increase in demand for deeper wells to be drilled as private wells were going dry. The continued dry conditions forced the Maryland Department of the Environment to upgrade the drought watch to a drought warning for the Maryland Eastern Shore on January 24th. The Susquehanna River Basin Commission also declared a drought warning and called for a 10 to 15 percent reduction in usage. The reduced flow in the Susquehanna River also makes saltwater intrude farther upstream from Chesapeake Bay into the river. This was exacerbated by the city of Baltimore which started drawing water from the river. The Maryland Department of the Environment requested large water utilities to audit their water use and develop a water conservation plan if their losses exceed 10 percent of the total water use. No formal water restrictions were in place, but water conservation continued to be emphasized.