The Delaware Climate Office launches a new website to help Delawareans stay informed about the state’s water supply during droughts.
The state has experienced drought conditions since late October, and this website will be a central location to manage drought information for the public.
The page can be found on the State Climate Office website, and State Climatologist Kevin Brinson says it will provide regular updates.
"It provides a weekly update of the drought conditions, the changes that we're seeing. We also provide an update on the outlook. So what we might expect in terms of drought deterioration or improvement depending on what the outlook looks like over the next week or few weeks or even a couple months away," said Brinson.
The site will include precipitation measurements by county and municipality, and what those levels represent for the state as drought conditions persist.
There will also be links to Delaware Geological Survey’s Water Conditions Reports, the U.S. Drought Monitor, and Delaware’s Water Supply Coordinating Council.
The site will also have a Drought Discussion section, where water experts summarize current conditions using charts, graphs and share expert commentary.
Brinson explains why they developed this resource.
"We were realizing that we needed to have a bit more regular location to kind of manage this information and make it more public,” said Brinson. “So we created this drought resources page part of the State Climate Office website, but the work that goes into it is a collaboration of our office, but also the Delaware Geological Survey and DNREC."
The latest information shows improving conditions after above normal March precipitation throughout the state - especially Sussex County.
It also shows that stream conditions in northern Delaware are improving and chloride levels on the Christina River are decreasing.
Groundwater conditions are below normal at most wells in the state, but they have also improved during March conditions, and the long-term drought outlook shows conditions improving statewide.
The site is at climate.udel.edu/drought.
