Bucks County officials asking residents to conserve water due to dry conditions
WARRINGTON, Pa. (CBS) -- We are off to a dry start to the summer, and in Bucks County, officials are already asking people to keep an eye on how much water they're using.
A lot of areas around Warrington have brown, crunchy grass. So far – officials say parts of Bucks, Montgomery, Delaware and Chester Counties are in the very dry category – still short of a drought. But water officials we talked with are still asking for the public's help.
"We are experiencing some really abnormally dry conditions," Eric Schulberger, of the Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority, said.
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Most places you look in Bucks County you'll see the same brown grass, and a lack of may rain is bringing June worries about water levels.
"Our stream flows right now are looking at about half the amount they were this time last year," Schulberger said.
The Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority is asking the 525,000 people it serves for help.
"If you can not wash your cars, cut back on watering your lawn. If you have to, do it first thing in the morning and at the end of the day so you're not evaporating a lot of that water," Schulberger said.
Officials say the precautions are voluntary at this point, and they won't be handing out any fines. But cutting back isn't so easy for Mike Wagner, who runs Wild Blossom Farm.
"There's peaches, apples, plums, pears," Wagner said.
While Wagner says he's trying to conserve water at home, it's not an option for his micro-farm – where dry conditions mean more watering for the fruits and veggies. And that's hitting him right in the wallet.
"Generally that would make my water bill two to three times what it would normally be. And it's just a small farm, so every little bite kind of matters," Wagner said.
Wagner says he'll know soon just how much this dry spell will impact him for the summer.
"Right now it's on that end where it could go either way. So if the weather changes, patterns change, we start to get a little moisture, things will be fine," Wagner said.
Again – all the precautions the water & sewer authority are asking people to take are voluntary at this point. But they are taking their own steps.
Officials say they have suspended flushing the system until the fall due to the water issues.