Drought conditions have been slowly improving in some areas of New Jersey during the past three months.
But most of the state continues to be stuck in a severe or extreme drought, with many water supplies remaining below their normal capacity heading into the spring, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor map and state water data.
The new map, released Thursday morning, shows 49% of the Garden State still has severe drought conditions and 23% of the state remains in an extreme drought. Extreme is one level worse than severe.
The rest of the state has moderate drought conditions, one level better than severe.
The state’s worst drought conditions are lingering in South Jersey, along with some portions of Morris, Passaic and Sussex counties in North Jersey.
In November, Gov. Phil Murphy and the state Department of Environmental Protection declared a statewide drought warning — which remains in effect until further notice.
The warning does not call for mandatory water use restrictions or bans.
State officials said those actions will be taken if the drought situation continues to worsen and prompts the state to declare a more sweeping drought emergency — the highest level of action.
With the spring season approaching soon, water usage will likely rise as more homeowners use lawn sprinklers, and hoses to wash their cars and driveways, while farmers use more water to grow crops.
New Jersey continues to make slow improvements in its drought situation in some areas of the state. However, 49% of the state remains in a severe drought and 23% remains in an extreme drought as of Feb. 27, 2025.Len Melisurgo | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
N.J. water supply levels
Here’s a look at the latest water supply data provided by the state Department of Environmental Protection:
The combined Northeast Reservoirs in northeastern New Jersey were 58% to 60% full in late November and are now about 70% full in late February. That’s about 15% below normal. (Those include reservoirs operated by Newark, Jersey City, Boonton, the North Jersey District Water Supply Commission and the Veolia Water company.)
The five Newark Reservoirs (Newark, Canistear, Charlotteburg, Echo Lake and Oak Ridge) were about 58% full in late November and about 68% full in late February, which is about 15% below normal.
The three Veolia Reservoirs in Lake Tappan, Oradell and Woodcliff Lake were about 58% full in late November and climbed to about 75% full in late December, but dropped back down to 58% full in late February. That’s is about 20% below normal.
The two North Jersey District Reservoirs in Wanaque and Monksville in Passaic County were only about 52% full in late November and climbed to 62% in late February. But that is still 13% below normal.
The two Jersey City Reservoirs (Boonton and Split Rock) were 70% full in late November and have made very good progress. They are now about 95% full as of late February, which is normal for this time of year.
The combined Spruce Run and Round Valley reservoirs in Hunterdon County have remained fairly steady at about 80% capacity since November, still about 10% below normal for this time of year.
The combined Coastal North Reservoirs (Manasquan, Glendola and Swimming River) were slightly below 60% full in late November and about 82% full in late February, which is still below their normal capacity of 96%.
The Manasquan Reservoir alone, which hit its lowest levels on record in October and November, made slow but steady gains in December and January. As of Feb. 27, the reservoir was 70% full, according to data from the New Jersey Water Supply Authority. That’s still far below its normal February capacity of 95%.
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or on X at @LensReality.