The end to New York City's drought could be coming to an end soon, if the current conditions continue in the coming weeks, Mayor Eric Adams announced Monday afternoon as the city downgraded its drought warning to a drought watch.
The announcement comes as more rain is expected on Wednesday.
“Thanks to recent precipitation and melting snowfall upstate, in addition to our decision to pause the Delaware Aqueduct repair project, we’re in a much better place than we were a few weeks ago, allowing us to downgrade our drought warning to a drought watch,” Adams said.
The city first issued a drought watch on Nov. 2 as the city experienced the driest spell in recorded history. On Nov. 18, Adams announced a drought warning, urging New Yorkers to save water and mandating public agencies to take steps to reduce water usage.
“If conditions continue, we hope that, in the coming weeks, we will be able to rescind the watch as well," Adams added.
NYC Chief Climate Officer and Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Rohit T. Aggarwala emphasized the need to continuing to practice water conservation even outside times of drought.
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“New Yorkers and our fellow city agencies have shown remarkable resilience and commitment to conserving water during these unprecedented conditions," Aggarwala said.
