For the first time in eight years, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection has issued a drought warning amid an unprecedented wave of dry weather that has led to a shrinking water supply and a wave of wildfires.

The action, officially known as a “Water Supply Drought Warning,” covers the entire state and gives the DEP more authority to ensure that water suppliers distribute and transfer sufficient drinking water to each region, especially those with the lowest supplies.

It also gives the state the ability to direct water utilities to develop alternative water sources in case their current supplies become dangerously low.

The drought warning does not call for mandatory restrictions or bans on water use. Governor Phil Murphy said these actions will be taken if the drought situation continues to worsen, prompting the state to declare a greater drought emergency – the highest level of action the state can take during severe droughts.

Despite the lack of mandatory water use restrictions, Murphy called the drought warning “an incredibly serious situation” and urged residents across the state to reduce their water use.

While Murphy joked that the state can’t control how long people shower indoors, he and other state officials said people should be serious about taking simple steps like taking shorter showers, avoiding using lawn sprinklers and making sure dishwashers are full . before running them, and turn off the water while brushing your teeth.

During a news conference Wednesday, the governor highlighted the strain that months of extremely dry weather have had on water storage levels, as well as how dry conditions have led to dozens of wildfires over the past two months.

“The numbers are, quite frankly, staggering,” Murphy said. “Since the beginning of October, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has responded to 537 fires. To put that into context, that’s 500 more fires than we saw in the exact same period last year.” “Put another way, that’s an increase of 1,300 percent,” he added.

Greg McLaughlin, administrator of the state Office of Natural Lands and Forests, said the average number of wildfires in New Jersey in a given year is 1,000. But this year there has been a 30% increase.

In terms of the number of hectares of land burned, the average number in the state in one year is about 4,000 hectares, and this year the number has increased to 11,000 hectares.

Wednesday’s drought warning announcement came just one day after a special public hearing was held and many residents and environmental groups urged the state to take swift action to ensure New Jersey has enough water for drinking, growing crops spraying and fighting fires.

Some speakers at the hearing accused the state of waiting too long to take decisive steps, saying restrictions on water use should have been mandatory rather than voluntary.

Tips to save water

State officials offer these tips to help reduce water use:

• Homeowners should let their lawns go dormant, which is appropriate this time of year.
• Stop watering your lawn and turn off the automatic timers on sprinkler systems.
• Use a hose with a handheld sprinkler to water flowers and shrubs, or leave them dormant.
• Use a broom instead of a hose to sweep sidewalks.
• Wash vehicles with a bucket and run the hose no more than necessary, or use a commercial car wash that recycles water.
• Only use dishwashers and washing machines when they are full.
• Turn off the water while brushing your teeth.
• Repair leaking taps and pipes in your home.
• Consider replacing your toilet with a low-flow version; this can save approximately 11,000 liters of water per year.
• Upgrade your shower head to low-flow versions, which can save you approximately 7,700 liters per year.
• Upgrade your faucets or install faucet aerators; this can save approximately 16,000 liters per year.

For more information about the condition of the water supply, water conservation tips and other details about the drought warning, visit the DEP’s drought page at www.njdrought.org.