Rit Aggarwala, the city’s Department of Environmental Protection commissioner, urges New Yorkers to conserve water as the city enters a ‘drought watch.’ Monday, Nov. 4, 2024.
Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.
New York City officials on Monday explained several measures residents of the five boroughs should take to conserve water days after City Hall declared a “drought watch” following a historically dry October.
Rohit Aggarwala, the city’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) commissioner, said Monday that after getting very little rainfall over the past 10 weeks, the Big Apple is facing a six-inch precipitation deficit. He said the dry weather so far, taken together with forecasts that the next couple of months will continue to be drier than usual for this time of year, led the city to initiate a drought watch — its first phase of drought prepardness.
In order to stave off moving to the final stage of drought preparedness, “a drought emergency,” Aggarwala outlined several ways New Yorkers can cut down on their water use.
“If we can cut our water consumption by only 5% today, every 20 days we do that, that buys us another day of full water supply later on,” Aggarwala said during the mayor’s weekly off-topic press conference. “We’re really urging all New Yorkers to be conscious of water consumption.”
Aggarwala’s recommendations include reporting leaking fire hydrants to 311, shortening shower times, flushing the toilet less often and not running the water while brushing your teeth.
“The biggest source of water waste in homes is actually leaking toilets,” the DEP commissioner said. “People do not understand how much water a running toilet can actually consume, you don’t think about it. But it is hundreds of gallons in a week or two.”
City Emergency Mangement Commissioner Zach Iscol added that the dry conditions mean there is an increased fire hazard risk. Those conditions led to a two-alarm brush fire in the Bronx’s Van Cortlandt Park on Monday, Iscol said.
Iscol said the last update on the fire as of late Tuesday morning was that it is under control.
“They’re starting to, they brought a couple additional resources up there, but really just because of exhaustion, and because of the firefighters doing their job, but right now it probably will hold,” Iscol said, using FDNY jargon to indicate the fire is contained.
Aggarwala said that based on the city’s last drought in 2001 and 2002, the drought watch stage will not last very long. The city will likely move into the next preparedness phase, the “drought warning,” in the coming weeks.
The warning stage would require city agencies to reduce their water usage, including measures like reducing the washing of city vehicle fleets and checking city-run buildings for leaks.
City officials said a drought emergency would carry mandatory restrictions on water usage that would be enforceable by fines and sanctions. It would also mean a moratorium on restaurants serving water to customers unless they request it, the watering of golf courses and athletic fields, and the operation of pools.
Aggarwala said the emergency restrictions can be particularly limiting during the hot temperatures of the summer months.
“You’re not allowed to water your lawn. You’re not allowed to do things that are often outdoors,” Aggarwala said. “And our water consumption as a city is generally higher during the summer than it is during the winter.”
