Doylestown Township Municipal Authority issues drought emergency, mandatory water restrictions in place

Doylestown Township Municipal Authority has issued a Drought Emergency with mandatory water conservation measures in place, including a 15% to 20% reduction in household water usage, effective Thursday.

The following is prohibited during the drought emergency:

• Irrigation and watering of lawns
• Washing of cars (except commercial businesses with recycled water)
• The serving at water at restaurants unless requested by customer

According to the Doylestown TMA, the mandatory water conservation is due to the declining levels of groundwater. Unlike North Penn Water Authority, DTMA relies heavily on wells and groundwater for its product.

The latest Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection drought indicator status benchmarks and the conditions set forth in the DTMA Drought Contingency Plan require a drought emergency, according to its website.

Here are some water conservation tips.

On Nov. 7, the U.S. Drought Monitor officially classified Bucks County under a severe drought.