New York City is no longer under a drought warning.
The announcement by Mayor Eric Adams on Monday ends the city’s first drought warning in 22 years. Gov. Kathy Hochul and Adams had announced the warning on Nov. 18, and although New Yorkers were urged to conserve water, no restrictions were put in place.
The city remains under a drought watch, a lesser designation that still indicates lower-than-usual rainfall and water reserves.
“We’re in a much better place, really exciting,” Adams said at a briefing for reporters Monday. “And if the conditions continue, we hope that in the coming weeks, we’ll be able to rescind the watch as well.”
The city’s reservoirs in the Catskills and Hudson Valley were at just under 70% capacity Monday, according to city figures. They’d normally be a little more than 80% full, according to the city.
Most of the Hudson Valley was under a drought warning in recent days, according to the state Department of Environmental Conservation. That area now remains under a drought watch as well.
Adams’ announcement runs contrary to a statement from the city Department of Environmental Protection, which told Gothamist last week the city would need to see historic levels of rainfall — 10-11 inches — hit its reservoirs in December to get out from under the drought warning. So far, about 2.5 inches of rain have reached the reservoirs in December, up from the approximate 1.75 inches typical for this time in the month.
The City Council’s Committee on Environmental Protection, Resiliency and Waterfronts had planned an oversight hearing on the state of the drought for Tuesday.
December has been rainier than usual, but the city is still struggling to make up for a deficit of precipitation from August through October that contributed to brush fires throughout New York and New Jersey. The city recently lifted a ban on open flames and fireworks, but Central Park and Prospect Park had already both called off their annual New Year’s Eve fireworks, with Prospect Park planning a drone light show in its place.
The city also recently paused a repair of the Delaware Aqueduct in the Catskills so that officials could reopen access to that water supply. Adams said that and the recent increase in rainfall, as well as snow in some parts of the state, have helped. Adams didn’t say in his media briefing if that project would be restarted soon. A message to the city Department of Environmental Protection Monday afternoon wasn’t immediately been returned.
The city still urges New Yorkers to continue conserving water, including by avoiding flushing toilets unnecessarily, taking shorter showers, running dishwashers only when they’re full and avoiding leaving water running when brushing teeth or shaving.