Record August Rainfall Keeps Aqua Pennsylvania’s Reservoirs Full at Summer’s End

Record rainfall in August, which made the month the wettest month ever in the Philadelphia area, restored Aqua Pennsylvania, Inc.’s (Aqua) 10-billion-gallon reservoir storage right back to where it was at the start of summer season—full.

"We began the summer season with full reservoirs, which is not unusual, but to end the season with full storage is very unusual,” said Aqua President Karl Kyriss. "It’s particularly unusual because we experienced an extended heat wave in July with temperatures well into the 90s and nearing 100 for several straight days.”

Kyriss said that while usage was up as expected during the summer, the inordinate amount of rain in August replenished the company’s reservoirs much earlier this year. "Except when hurricanes hit our area like Irene did last week, our reservoir storage is usually lowest in the fall and is replenished in the spring. However, this year by the third week of August we had already broken the rainfall record for August in southeastern Pennsylvania with more than 13 inches of rain. Then Hurricane Irene came adding nearly six inches, securing August’s status as the wettest month ever in the history of southeastern Pennsylvania.”

Aqua operates five reservoirs in southeastern Pennsylvania, which collectively hold approximately 10 billion gallons of water.

Aqua provides water and wastewater services to approximately 1.4 million people throughout Pennsylvania, including 1.3 million people in Delaware, Montgomery, Chester, Bucks and Berks counties.

WTRG