State environmental agency declares drought for all of Georgia
The state environmental agency has declared a Level 1 drought for all of Georgia, prompting public water systems to implement a public information campaign to educate citizens on drought conditions and water conservation. The post State environmental agency declares drought for all of Georgia appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.
The state environmental agency has declared a statewide Level 1 drought on Monday, ordering public water utilities to launch conservation campaigns as the state endures its worst drought since 2007.
The declaration, issued April 27 by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, does not impose new water restrictions. But it moves the state one step closer to limits on outdoor water use that haven’t been in place for nearly a decade.
What the declaration means
Under a Level 1 response, public water systems must run public information campaigns explaining the drought’s impact on water supplies and what residents can do to reduce use. Utilities can get the word out through newspaper or online ads, bill inserts, social media, or notices at public libraries.
Outdoor watering remains allowed between 4 p.m. and 10 a.m., unchanged from existing year-round state rules.
How bad is the drought?
The drought has been building for months. Georgia saw its fourth-driest November on record, and below-average rainfall continued through March. April has been nearly bone-dry.
Most of the state has accumulated rainfall deficits of a foot or more over the past six months. Southwest Georgia has been running 8 to 10 inches below normal over the past 90 days. In south Georgia, the 180-day departure from normal reaches 12 to 15 inches in some areas.
An unusually warm winter and spring have made things worse. March 2026 ranked as the seventh-hottest March on record in Georgia, according to federal climate data.
What comes next
If conditions don’t improve, EPD can escalate to a Level 2 drought response, which would trigger the state’s first mandatory water restrictions since 2016. Level 2 rules would limit landscape watering to two days per week and bar nonessential outdoor uses such as running ornamental fountains, noncommercial pressure washing, and car washing.
Georgia’s last Level 1 declaration ran from October through December 2019.
More information on drought response and water conservation is available at epd.georgia.gov.
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