Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams issued a drought watch for the city on Saturday and explained that October was “one of the driest months” in New York City’s history. The mayor urged city residents to take precautions and work together to conserve water.
In a video announcement shared on X, formerly Twitter, Adams said, “New Yorkers, today, I am declaring a drought watch. October was one of the driest months we’ve had in recorded history, and it’s impacting our water. So I’m calling for all of my agencies to come up with their water savings plans and to start to implement those plans.”
While the Democratic mayor said his agencies would begin implementing water savings plans across New York City, he also asked city residents to take steps to reduce their individual water consumption. Adams asked residents to do “something simple,” such as turning off the water while brushing their teeth or reducing the frequency of watering their lawns.
“For every gallon we save, that is the gallons that we’re going to be able to fill out pools and carry out other activities throughout the summer,” Adams added. “Let’s do it together. Mother Nature is in charge, and so we must make sure we adjust based on the lack of water and rain we have received.”
According to The Associated Press, a drought watch is the first of three major steps the city could take to conserve water supplies. In addition to the water saving directives Adams gave in Saturday’s video, The Associated Press reported that New Yorkers have been urged to notify local authorities if they see fire hydrants actively wasting water. The outlet noted that a Brooklyn fire hydrant was recently fixed after leaking a significant amount of water.
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National Weather Service records obtained by The Associated Press show that New York City only received 0.01 inches of rain in October. The city typically receives 4.4 inches of rain in the month of October. The outlet noted that New York City Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit Aggarwala said last month was the driest October the city has experienced in more than 150 years.
In addition to the shortage of rain, The Associated Press said the city has been working to fix a leaking aqueduct that transports water to the city from the Catskills region in New York.