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Water levels severely low in dozens of New York streams and reservoirs, data shows

Low water levels at the Pepacton Reservoir in Delaware County, New York.
Kristen Artz
/
New York City Department of Environmental Protection
Low water levels at the Pepacton Reservoir in Delaware County, New York.

After months of abnormally dry conditions across New York, streams and reservoirs have reached extremely low levels, causing some municipalities to declare water emergencies and exposing the usually water-rich region’s vulnerability to drought.

On Wednesday, federal data showed that dozens of water bodies statewide had reached record-low levels for that day of the year, including part of Six Mile Creek in Ithaca and part of the Susquehanna River in Owego. This comes as several wildfires continue to burn around the Hudson Valley.

Even with days of rain and potential snow in the forecast, officials continue to warn residents to be careful not to overuse water.

“With rain on the way to help alleviate some strain from the fires and the drought, we encourage New Yorkers to conserve their water usage and not to burn fires outdoors,” said Governor Kathy Hochul in a statement Wednesday.

On Monday, Hochul announced a statewide drought watch, with some counties in New York City and the Hudson Valley elevated to a drought warning. State officials have also encouraged residents, especially those dependent on private groundwater wells, to conserve water.

Earlier this month, officials in some municipalities announced water emergencies. The city of Oneonta, in Otsego County, announced a water supply emergency after levels in the local reservoir dropped. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has also advised residents to reduce water use.

In addition, officials have paused repairs to the Delaware Aqueduct, which delivers half of New York City’s drinking water from the Catskills. Officials had previously stopped the flow of water from four reservoirs into the aqueduct to repair a leak. However, both Adams and Hochul said last week that they would reopen the aqueduct to resume the flow of water due to the lack of rain.

Even in areas with less severe water shortages, low reservoir and stream levels can present numerous other challenges, according to Grascen Shidemantle, executive director of the Community Science Institute in the Finger Lakes.

The organization monitors water quality in the Cayuga Lake watershed. But after weeks of little rain, some streams have become too shallow to sample, making data collection impossible, said Shidemantle.

The group has rescheduled two sampling events already this fall because of low water levels. Shidemantle hopes that forecasted rain will allow future sampling events to continue.

“It might be enough to bring the streams back up to a normal level there, but those are quite small streams,” said Shidemantle. “We'll have to wait and see.”

As human-caused climate change raises average temperatures in New York, scientists expect the state to experience more variable and extreme weather, including more frequent floods and more extreme droughts.

The Finger Lakes region will need to prepare for the toll that will take on streams, lakes and reservoirs, said Shidemantle.

“Locally, our freshwater resources are one of our biggest assets,” said Shidemantle, pointing to water’s essential role in local agriculture and tourism. More variable weather will likely put those water resources at risk, she added.