MARYLAND — We haven’t needed our umbrellas much lately and while that may be nice, it’s not good for the ground.

The Maryland Department of the Environment issues drought warnings and monitors statewide. There are no state-issued mandatory water restrictions, but leaders encourage people to conserve water use when possible.

“We’ve had a very dry year overall, and monitoring is showing an impact on water availability across the state,” said Serena McIlwain, secretary of the Maryland Department of the Environment. “While there is no immediate water shortage, we encourage residents and businesses to use water wisely while continuing to monitor the situation. »

Drought warnings are in place for eastern and southern regions. Drought watches are in effect across central and western Maryland.

Due to dry conditions, a statewide burning ban is in effect. You can read more about what this means at this link from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.

Here’s how the warnings are broken down by region:

Eastern Maryland

A drought warning is in effect based on monitoring that shows below-normal precipitation, flows and groundwater levels in shallow aquifers. Although most domestic wells in the region are deep enough to avoid any impact, impacts could occur to shallower wells.

Central Maryland

A drought watch is based on monitoring that shows below-normal precipitation, stream flows, and groundwater levels.

Western Maryland

A drought watch is in effect for below normal precipitation. The City of Oakland in Garrett County has issued new restrictions on some water uses due to the reservoir it depends on reaching critically low levels.

Southern Maryland

A drought warning is based on monitoring that shows lower than normal precipitation and groundwater levels.

Baltimore City Water Service Area

Reservoir levels are at 95 percent capacity and the area remains normal.

WSSC Water Service Area

The Council of Metropolitan Washington Governments recently extension of drought monitoring. The watch has been in place since July.

Stay on top of the latest forecasts with Maryland’s most accurate forecast team. Click here for the latest forecasts or download the WMAR-2 News app.