Drought in New Jersey, October 1 to 31, 2002

October 2002 saw the return of well above normal precipitation to New Jersey. It was also the first month since June that precipitation was above normal in every county. Soaking rains on the 10th and 11th alone accounted for the normal October precipitation. The preliminary statewide average monthly precipitation was 7.04 inches, the sixth wettest October on record. Normal is 3.51 inches. County weighted average monthly rainfall totals ranged from 5.5 inches in Mercer County to 8.9 inches in Monmouth County.The heavy rain came too late to help farmers. It was estimated that the drought will cost farmers about $125 million in revenue. The corn harvest was expected to be down 25 percent and the soybean harvest down 30 percent. Revenue drops in some areas were over 50 percent. Hardest hit were farms in Salem, Gloucester and Cumberland Counties where losses approached 60 percent. Field crops such as hay, wheat, sorghum, soybeans and corn for animal feed were hardest hit because they are not irrigated. Increased damage was also caused by bears and deer looking for food and water. It was estimated that one-third of Sussex County's corn drop was lost to animals. Pumpkins were brought in from as far away as Vermont to supplement the state's crop. On the 18th, United States Department of Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman declared a drought disaster in several states including New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware. Farmers were eligible to apply for low interest loans. Compensation was also given for farmers who were raising livestock. Landscaping businesses were also hard hit by the drought. With watering restrictions in place, consumers shied away from new purchases. The grass was dormant. It was estimated that revenue for the landscaping business was off by one-third (about 100 million dollars). Water companies' revenue was down about 15 percent. The drought also brought a bumper crop of fleas, mites and chiggers. Butterfly (including Monarch) breeding areas were depleted by the drought. It was believed that many large trees were hurt by the drought over the past two years.As October began, even with near normal precipitation in September, groundwater levels were at record lows. Stream flows remained low and the northern New Jersey Reservoirs were below normal. In Sussex County, flow along the Wallkill River and Black Creek was about 5 to 10 percent of normal. The Black Creek in fact was flowing near zero in spots. The low flow led to unacceptable levels of pollutants including phosphorous. Brick Township (Ocean County) could not use the Metedeconk River as its main water source because of salt water intrusion. Surface water conditions improved greatly after the soaking rains on the 10th and 11th. Brick Township was able to use the Metedeconk River again. Water levels in the Boonton Reservoir (Morris County) rose five feet and went from 65 to 82 percent of capacity. More heavy rain fell with the October 16th northeaster, especially in the northwest part of the state. While surface water supplies responded quickly, groundwater water levels lagged especially in the southern part of the state. On October 24th, monitoring wells in Cumberland and Burlington Counties were within one foot of previous record lows for the date. The Kirkwood-Cohansey aquifer remained at record lows. Groundwater recovery normally takes longer to occur than surface water supplies. On the 24th, the State Department of Environmental Protection eased water restrictions. Lawn watering was permitted every other day and car washing was permitted on weekends. Washing of homes, windows, decks and fences was permitted. Other water restrictions remained in place as well as the moratorium on permits to expand public water systems. The moratorium on new housing development in Egg Harbor, Galloway and Hamilton Townships (Atlantic County) remained in effect. The heavy rain during October caused a tremendous rebound in surface reservoir capacities across the state. The Manasquan Reservoir (Monmouth County) went from 69.5 percent of capacity on the first to 81 percent of capacity on the 24th. Other Monmouth County reservoirs were between 95 and 100 percent of capacity by the 24th. The northern New Jersey Reservoirs increased from about 63 percent of capacity on September 30th to 74.8 percent of capacity on October 31st, about 10 percent ABOVE normal. Even the New York City Reservoirs which feed the Delaware River increased from 50.4 percent of capacity on October 1st to 57.6 percent of capacity on November 1st and were above normal for the first time since early 2001. For the month stream flow on the Delaware River was over 200 percent of normal. The Delaware River Basin Commission, which oversees water supply throughout the Delaware River Basin declared a "drought" on December 3, 2001 when the supply of water in the New York City reservoir system dropped below a designated level for early December. The commission declared a drought emergency on December 18, 2001. Both triggered additional reductions in the amount of water released from the reservoirs into the Delaware River and the amount diverted out of the Delaware River Basin to New York City and New Jersey. Diversions to New York City dropped from 800 million gallons a day to 520 million gallons a day. The emergency declaration gave the commission the power to restrict the amount of water suppliers could draw from the basin. It gave the commission the authority to take water from municipal reservoirs to maintain river levels. It could also call for water releases from federal, state and privately owned reservoirs. Water from Lake Nockamixon, the F.E. Walter Reservoir and Lake Wallenpaupack could be used to maintain river levels. They were last used for this purpose in the 1960s. The releases help protect the riverbank and aquatic life and also prevents salt water from flowing up the Delaware River. Salt water intrusion causes corrosion problems for industries and increases water treatment costs for municipalities that depend on the river for their water supply. Maintaining river levels are also important for groundwater reserves that are recharged by the river itself. Heavy rains in October pushed th salt front to mile marker 68 on October 31st, thirteen miles farther downstream than its normal October position. The New York City Reservoirs which feed the Delaware River increased from 50.4 percent of capacity on October 1st to 57.6 percent of capacity on November 1st. The northern New Jersey reservoirs were at 74.8 percent of capacity as of October 31st, about 10 percent above normal. Monthly precipitation totals were 6.38 inches at the Atlantic City International Airport (3rd wettest on record), 6.43 inches at the Marina within Atlantic City (6th wettest on record) and 5.02 inches in Trenton.