New York Water Restrictions 2026

Water restrictions across New York right now

New York entered 2026 under a shadow that most residents under the age of forty have never experienced: a formal Drought Watch declaration covering the New York City metropolitan water supply system. On October 15, 2025, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection announced the region's first Drought Watch since 2002, marking the end of a two-decade stretch without a significant supply emergency for the nation's largest municipal water system. Combined storage across the city's nineteen reservoirs and three controlled lakes stood at 67.8% of capacity as of early 2026 — well below the seasonal normal of approximately 83% — a deficit that prompted immediate action from water managers across the lower Hudson Valley and beyond.

The declaration carries real consequences. Within New York City itself, residents and businesses are operating under Stage 1 of a four-stage drought response plan. While Stage 1 stops short of hard outdoor watering bans, it requires all city water users to observe conservation measures, limit discretionary outdoor use, and comply with voluntary odd-even scheduling guidance. Surrounding utilities in Westchester County have moved with greater urgency: Westchester Joint Water Works has implemented mandatory odd/even Stage 1 restrictions, a formal enforcement posture that distinguishes the suburban utilities from the city's more advisory approach.

Mount Vernon, New Rochelle, White Plains, and Yonkers — all served by interconnected Hudson Valley systems — are operating under Stage 1 advisories that carry mandatory odd/even outdoor watering schedules. Albany, further north along the Hudson River corridor, has issued a Stage 1 Voluntary Odd/Even advisory, reflecting both regional solidarity with downstate conditions and precautionary management of its own Alcove Reservoir supplies. Rochester on Lake Ontario and Syracuse at the center of the state have not issued formal drought restrictions but both maintain permanent odd/even watering schedules year-round as baseline policy.

Buffalo, drawing from Lake Erie through the Buffalo Water Authority, has similarly avoided drought-stage declarations given the Great Lakes' historically robust storage volumes, though the utility enforces permanent conservation scheduling.

The conditions fueling the watch are not merely a product of a single dry autumn. Precipitation across the Catskill and Delaware watersheds — the hydrological heart of New York City's water supply — ran persistently below normal throughout the second half of 2024 and into 2025. The Hudson Valley recorded its driest September in over a decade, and reservoir refill that typically occurs in late autumn fell dramatically short of expectations. Water managers at DEP have flagged a critical inflection point: if May 2026 precipitation falls below 60% of historical normal, automatic Stage 2 triggers will activate across multiple utilities, bringing far stricter mandatory restrictions into effect region-wide.

Six of the ten cities tracked across New York are currently under mandatory conservation measures. Two — Yonkers and New York City through certain service classifications — remain under voluntary frameworks. No cities have reached emergency Stage 4 status, but the trajectory heading into the spring of 2026 is being watched with unusual intensity by both state regulators and municipal water managers.

Fines and enforcement in New York

Enforcement mechanisms across New York's drought-restricted municipalities range from community-based complaint systems to automated detection through smart meter networks, reflecting the state's diversity of utility sizes and technological capacity.

Within the Westchester Joint Water Works mandatory Stage 1 zone, first-time violations of odd/even watering rules typically result in a written warning and educational materials delivered to the property. A second violation within the same season carries a fine of $50 to $100 depending on the specific member municipality. Subsequent violations can escalate to $250 or more per occurrence. Utilities in the system reserve the right under their enabling resolutions to restrict or terminate water service to persistent violators, though this remedy is rarely invoked at Stage 1 levels.

New York City DEP takes a somewhat different approach at its current Stage 1 level. Formal fines require documented observations by DEP enforcement personnel. Under the city's rules for water waste generally — not merely drought-specific — the standard penalty for allowing water to run to waste is $500 for a first offense. During a declared Drought Watch, DEP has historically prioritized notification and voluntary compliance before penalty issuance, though the agency has signaled that Stage 2 would bring more aggressive enforcement postures.

Complaint pathways are well established. New York City residents can report suspected water waste through the 311 system, which routes complaints to DEP's Bureau of Customer Services. Westchester municipalities route complaints through their public works departments or directly to Joint Water Works. Albany accepts reports via its 311 equivalent and through the Water Department's online portal. Complaint-based enforcement has proven effective in dense urban environments where neighbor visibility is high.

Smart meter deployment has expanded enforcement capacity significantly in recent years. The DEP's Advanced Metering Infrastructure rollout, which began in the mid-2010s and has continued through 2025, now covers a substantial share of metered accounts across the five boroughs. Smart meters flag anomalous overnight consumption patterns that are characteristic of irrigation systems running outside permitted hours, enabling proactive outreach rather than purely reactive enforcement. Several Westchester utilities have partnered with meter analytics firms to generate automated leak and excessive-use alerts.

Property owners who believe a violation notice was issued in error may appeal through the relevant utility's customer service dispute process. DEP provides a formal hearing pathway through the Environmental Control Board. Appeals based on medical necessity — such as irrigation required to maintain therapeutic gardens for residents with documented conditions — are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

HOA protections in New York

New York State does not have a statute that broadly preempts homeowners associations from restricting or regulating water use on private property within their jurisdiction. Unlike Arizona, which enacted a specific law preventing HOAs from fining homeowners for allowing landscaping to die during drought emergencies, New York's legislative framework leaves the HOA-water restriction interface largely unaddressed at the state level.

The primary governing statute for homeowners associations in New York is the Not-for-Profit Corporation Law, under which most residential HOAs are incorporated, along with the Condominium Act found at Real Property Law Article 9-B. Neither statute contains explicit provisions protecting homeowners who reduce outdoor watering or allow lawns to brown in response to municipal drought orders. HOA declarations and bylaws therefore govern, and those documents vary enormously in their treatment of landscaping standards.

However, a meaningful legal argument exists under New York common law and the doctrine of impossibility or impracticability. If a municipal authority — such as DEP under a Drought Watch declaration or Westchester Joint Water Works under its mandatory Stage 1 order — has prohibited or restricted the very activity an HOA is demanding (e.g., daily lawn irrigation), a court would likely find that compliance with the HOA landscaping mandate is rendered impossible or unlawful. No homeowner should be penalized by an HOA for complying with a lawful government order.

Practically speaking, residents who receive HOA violation notices related to water restriction compliance should document the specific municipal restriction in effect, including the utility's official declaration language and effective dates, and present that documentation to the HOA board in writing. If the HOA board proceeds with fines despite that documentation, the homeowner may challenge the fine through the HOA's internal dispute resolution mechanism required under many governing documents, or pursue resolution under New York Civil Practice Law and Rules if necessary.

Some HOAs in Westchester and Nassau counties have proactively amended their landscaping guidelines to incorporate drought exemptions triggered by utility declarations, recognizing both the legal vulnerability of enforcing green-lawn mandates during mandatory restrictions and the reputational risk of appearing to prioritize curb appeal over resource conservation. Homeowners whose HOA documents are silent on drought conditions may petition the board to adopt a formal drought accommodation policy.

Where New York gets its water

New York's water geography is extraordinary in its complexity and scale, varying dramatically from the massive engineered watershed serving New York City to the Great Lakes drawdowns supplying Buffalo and the shallow glacial aquifers underlying Long Island.

New York City's water supply system is one of the largest unfiltered surface water systems in the world, covering roughly 2,000 square miles across three watershed regions. The Delaware System, comprising the Cannonsville Reservoir on the West Branch of the Delaware River, the Pepacton Reservoir on the East Branch of the Delaware, the Neversink Reservoir on the Neversink River, and the Rondout Reservoir as the system's collecting basin, typically accounts for about half of the city's storage capacity. The Catskill System draws from the Schoharie Reservoir via the Shandaken Tunnel into the Esopus Creek and then into the Ashokan Reservoir in Ulster County — one of the system's most storied impoundments, completed in 1915. The older Croton System in Westchester and Putnam counties supplies a smaller share but remains critical during periods of elevated demand or when repairs interrupt Catskill or Delaware tunnel flows.

Water travels from these distant reservoirs to the city through two primary tunnels: the Delaware Aqueduct, running 85 miles from Rondout Reservoir to Hillview Reservoir in Yonkers, and the older Catskill Aqueduct. City Tunnel No. 3, a massive infrastructure project decades in the making, now supplements distribution within the five boroughs.

Upstate cities draw from entirely separate systems. Albany relies primarily on the Alcove Reservoir on the Hannacroix Creek, a tributary of the Hudson River, supplemented by the Basic Reservoir. Rochester draws treated water from Lake Ontario, processed through the Frank E. Van Lare Water Treatment Plant. Syracuse historically used Skaneateles Lake, one of the Finger Lakes, as its primary source — a lake so clean it does not require filtration under a DEP equivalency determination. Buffalo draws from Lake Erie at intake cribs roughly a mile offshore, processed through the Buffalo Avenue Water Treatment Plant.

Long Island presents a uniquely different picture: Suffolk and Nassau counties rely almost entirely on the Upper Glacial Aquifer and the deeper Magothy Aquifer, a massive groundwater system recharged by rain percolating through sandy soils. There are no major surface reservoirs on Long Island; the aquifer system holds hundreds of billions of gallons but faces mounting pressures from contamination plumes, saltwater intrusion near the coasts, and nitrogen loading from legacy cesspools. The Catskill Mountains contribute snowmelt that feeds the Schoharie and Delaware tributary systems from roughly December through April, providing critical late-winter and early-spring recharge for the New York City reservoirs.

How New York's drought framework works

New York State operates drought response through a coordinated structure that links state-level authority with local utility autonomy. The New York State Drought Management Task Force, established under the guidance of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Division of Water, serves as the primary coordinating body. The task force brings together the DEC, the Department of Health, the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, and major water suppliers to assess conditions and recommend declarations across four threshold categories: Drought Watch, Drought Warning, Drought Emergency, and the recovery designation of Drought Ended.

Declarations are not automatic. The DEC uses a combination of the U.S. Drought Monitor's weekly assessments, stream gauge data from key rivers including the Delaware, Hudson, Schoharie, and Esopus Creek, and reservoir storage percentages from major systems including the Cannonsville, Pepacton, Neversink, and Ashokan reservoirs. Soil moisture indices derived from NOAA cooperative observer networks across the state also factor into the analysis. When at least two of the primary indicators fall below defined thresholds simultaneously, the task force is empowered to recommend a regional or statewide declaration to the Governor's Office.

For the New York City DEP system specifically, the drought response ladder has four stages. Stage 1, currently active, is characterized by voluntary conservation appeals, public education campaigns, and the suspension of water-wasting activities such as hosing down sidewalks or filling decorative fountains. Stage 2 triggers mandatory outdoor watering restrictions, limits on car washing, and reductions in commercial landscape irrigation. Stage 3 introduces tighter enforcement, restricts certain commercial water uses, and may require cooling tower inspections to identify waste. Stage 4 — a full drought emergency — empowers DEP to impose surcharges on excessive usage and seek judicial remedies against persistent violators.

Individual utilities like Westchester Joint Water Works, the Rockland County Sewer District No. 1, and the Dutchess County Water and Wastewater Authority maintain their own internal stage ladders that mirror but do not always align precisely with DEP's, meaning a Stage 1 from DEP may translate to a Stage 2 designation at a neighboring utility depending on local supply conditions. This layered system creates variability in how restrictions feel across municipal boundaries — a crucial point for residents who live in one municipality and work in another.

The 60% precipitation trigger for May 2026 that DEP has publicly identified as a Stage 2 threshold is unusual in its specificity and transparency. It reflects lessons learned from the prolonged 2002 drought, when delays in escalating restrictions were later criticized as contributing to unnecessarily deep reservoir drawdowns. DEP's communication approach in 2025–2026 represents a deliberate pivot toward proactive, quantified triggers rather than reactive, judgment-based escalation.

Conservation programs in New York

New York State and its major utilities have assembled a substantial portfolio of conservation programs designed to reduce per-capita water demand over both the short and long terms. These programs range from direct rebates on water-efficient appliances to comprehensive residential and commercial audit services.

The New York City DEP's WaterSense Toilet Replacement Program has offered rebates to residential customers replacing pre-1994 toilets — which can use 3.5 to 7 gallons per flush — with WaterSense-certified models using 1.28 gallons or less. Rebate amounts through the program have historically ranged from $75 to $125 per toilet, with income-eligible households eligible for enhanced assistance or free fixture installation through the DEP's partnered nonprofit network. DEP estimates each toilet replacement saves approximately 15,000 gallons per household per year.

The DEP also operates a free Home Water Conservation Kit program available to all residential account holders. Kits typically include low-flow showerheads rated at 1.5 gallons per minute (compared to the standard 2.5 gallons per minute), faucet aerators, toilet leak detection dye tablets, and a household water audit guide. During Drought Watch conditions in 2025 and 2026, DEP accelerated kit distribution through partnerships with New York City Housing Authority buildings and community organizations in all five boroughs.

The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority — NYSERDA — administers the Clean Water Infrastructure Act programs authorized under the 2017 $2.5 billion Clean Water Infrastructure Act. While much of this funding targets wastewater and drinking water infrastructure improvements, a portion supports conservation planning grants to municipalities. Water utilities that develop and implement formal Water Conservation Plans — as required by New York's Water Conservation and Reuse Act framework — may qualify for planning assistance grants of up to $50,000.

Westchester Joint Water Works offers its own rebate structure for residential customers within member municipalities. High-efficiency clothes washers that meet CEE Tier II standards qualify for a rebate of $100 per unit. Smart irrigation controllers — devices that adjust watering schedules automatically based on weather data — qualify for rebates of $75 to $150 depending on the number of zones controlled.

The Empire State Development Corporation has supported several industrial water efficiency programs targeting food processing and manufacturing facilities in upstate regions including the Mohawk Valley and Southern Tier, where agricultural and industrial water use competes with municipal supply needs during drought periods. These programs provide technical assistance and cost-share grants for process water recycling systems.

New York American Water, which serves parts of Long Island, Westchester, and the Hudson Valley, participates in the national WaterSense partnership and offers rebate programs for qualifying fixtures independently of DEP programs, providing coverage to customers outside the city-owned system.

Lawn care in New York's climate

New York falls within USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 3b through 7b, with the climate ranging from the cold continental conditions of the Adirondacks and North Country to the comparatively mild maritime climate of Long Island's South Fork. This span encompasses cool-season turfgrass territory across the entire state — a critically important distinction as water restrictions reshape lawn care practices in 2026.

Cool-season grasses — those that grow most actively during the cooler temperatures of spring and fall and go dormant rather than die during summer heat — are the appropriate and regionally authentic choice for virtually all New York lawns. Kentucky Bluegrass remains the most widely planted species in the state, prized for its dense, fine-textured turf and deep blue-green color. It performs well in the Hudson Valley, the Capital District, and Long Island's North Shore, but requires consistent moisture and does not tolerate extended drought without dormancy. Homeowners with Kentucky Bluegrass lawns should understand that allowing dormancy — a natural survival mechanism — during a Drought Watch is preferable to heavy irrigation that strains the water supply.

Tall Fescue has gained significant ground as a drought-tolerant alternative across downstate New York. Its deep root system, which can penetrate 18 to 24 inches into the soil profile, allows it to access subsurface moisture unavailable to shallow-rooted grasses. Tall Fescue maintains green color longer into summer drought conditions than Kentucky Bluegrass and requires approximately 20 to 30% less supplemental irrigation. It tolerates the heat and humidity of a New York City summer better than fine fescues while remaining winter-hardy through Zone 5 and colder.

Fine Fescues — including Creeping Red Fescue, Chewings Fescue, and Hard Fescue — are exceptional choices for shaded areas under the large oaks, maples, and elms common in older New York suburbs. Fine Fescues require the least irrigation of any common New York lawn species, often thriving on rainfall alone once established. They are particularly well-suited to the dappled light conditions of Westchester and Nassau county neighborhoods.

Perennial Ryegrass, typically blended with Kentucky Bluegrass for its rapid germination and wear tolerance, is common on athletic fields and high-traffic lawns across New York. It is not especially drought-tolerant on its own but contributes to sod density in blended turf mixtures.

During Stage 1 Drought Watch conditions, turf specialists at Cornell Cooperative Extension recommend allowing established cool-season lawns to reach 3.5 to 4 inches before mowing, reducing mowing stress and shading the root zone. Irrigation should be deep and infrequent — approximately one inch per week applied in one or two sessions rather than light daily watering — to encourage deep rooting and drought resilience.

Drought history and 2026 outlook in New York

New York's relationship with drought is longer and more turbulent than many residents appreciate. The state's reputation for reliable rainfall — driven by its mid-latitude position, proximity to the Atlantic, and the moisture-bearing systems that track up the Eastern Seaboard — can obscure the fact that multi-year precipitation deficits have historically driven severe supply crises.

The drought of 1964–1966 remains the benchmark against which all subsequent New York water emergencies are measured. During that three-year event, the New York City reservoir system fell to roughly 25% of capacity — catastrophically low — prompting emergency water transfers, the installation of emergency interconnections with the Delaware River, and a public rationing campaign that included mandatory reduction of household use. The Cannonsville Reservoir, which had only recently come online as part of the Delaware System expansion, provided critical buffer storage that prevented an even worse outcome.

The drought of 1980–1981 produced significant reservoir drawdowns in the Catskill System, particularly in the Ashokan Reservoir, which dropped to levels that exposed portions of the old Olive Bridge hamlet flooded at the reservoir's creation in 1915. This event prompted DEP's predecessors to begin developing more formal demand management protocols.

The drought of 1995 was shorter but intense, particularly affecting the Croton System in Westchester County. The New Croton Reservoir fell sharply through the summer, triggering mandatory restrictions across Westchester utilities and prompting the first widespread public campaign around low-flow fixtures in the metropolitan region.

The 2002 drought — directly referenced in the current Drought Watch declaration as its most recent predecessor — affected the entire New York City system. The Pepacton and Cannonsville reservoirs each fell below 50% of capacity by late summer. DEP declared a Drought Warning that year, one stage above the current Watch, and initiated mandatory outdoor watering restrictions across its service territory. Recovery came through an unusually wet autumn and winter, but the event catalyzed significant investment in leak detection and demand management infrastructure.

The winters of 2007–2008 and the dry spring of 2012 produced localized stress in the Catskill watershed without escalating to full system declarations, and 2016 brought a brief but sharp regional dry spell that affected the Hudson Valley before autumn rains provided relief.

The trajectory of New York's water supply situation in 2026 hinges on several measurable indicators that water managers and residents alike should monitor closely through the spring and summer months.

The most critical near-term threshold is the May 2026 precipitation benchmark. DEP has publicly stated that if May 2026 rainfall across the Delaware and Catskill watershed regions falls below 60% of the long-term monthly average — roughly 3.5 to 4 inches under normal conditions — automatic escalation to Stage 2 restrictions will follow. Stage 2 brings mandatory outdoor watering bans except on designated days with time restrictions, significant limits on commercial car washing, and enhanced enforcement patrols.

Reservoir recovery through winter and early spring is the second critical variable. The combined Delaware System — Cannonsville, Pepacton, Neversink, and Rondout — needs to reach at least 75% combined storage by late April to provide adequate cushion entering summer demand season. The Ashokan Reservoir in the Catskill System, which serves as a critical intermediate storage point, needs similar refill progress. Weekly DEP reservoir storage reports, published publicly on the agency's website, provide the most current data.

NOAA's Climate Prediction Center seasonal outlook for the April through June 2026 period assigns elevated probability to below-normal precipitation across the northeastern United States, reflecting persistent La Niña influence on Atlantic storm track positioning. This does not guarantee drought continuation, but it does suggest that the odds favor sustained dryness rather than rapid recovery.

Utilities across the Hudson Valley have also flagged late-summer 2026 as a potential vulnerability window. If summer 2026 is hot and dry following an insufficient spring recharge, the reservoir system could enter autumn 2026 at levels that force Stage 3 declarations — a scenario not seen since the 1960s. Residents and water managers will be watching the Ashokan Reservoir level weekly as the clearest real-time indicator of system health through the year ahead.

Frequently asked questions about New York water restrictions

What exactly is a Drought Watch, and does it mean I'm breaking the law if I water my lawn?

A Drought Watch is the first of four formal drought response levels in New York's framework, sitting below Drought Warning, Drought Emergency, and the recovery designation. At the Watch level, which the New York City DEP declared on October 15, 2025 — the first such declaration since 2002 — the primary emphasis is on voluntary conservation by all customers. Within the five boroughs, Stage 1 does not make routine lawn watering illegal, but DEP strongly discourages midday watering and requests that customers limit outdoor irrigation to early morning or evening hours. However, in Westchester municipalities served by Westchester Joint Water Works, including New Rochelle, Mount Vernon, and White Plains, Stage 1 carries mandatory odd/even rules with enforcement authority. Violating those rules in those jurisdictions can result in warnings and fines. Always confirm which utility serves your address, as the answer determines whether your obligations are advisory or mandatory.

My HOA is threatening to fine me for not watering my lawn enough. Can they do that during a drought watch?

This is one of the most commonly asked questions during drought conditions in the New York suburbs. New York State does not have a statute that explicitly overrides HOA landscaping rules during drought emergencies. However, the legal principle of impossibility provides meaningful protection: if a lawful government order restricts the activity your HOA is demanding, courts are unlikely to uphold HOA penalties for compliance with that order. If your utility has issued a mandatory restriction — as Westchester Joint Water Works has — document the restriction in writing and present it to your HOA board. Many Westchester-area HOAs have recognized the legal exposure of enforcing green-lawn requirements during mandatory conservation orders and have issued voluntary moratoriums on such fines for the 2026 season.

Which New York City reservoirs are most critically low right now?

The most closely watched reservoirs as of early 2026 are in the Delaware System — Cannonsville on the West Branch of the Delaware River and Pepacton on the East Branch — which together account for the largest share of New York City's total storage. The Ashokan Reservoir in Ulster County, the primary receiving basin for the Catskill System, is also below seasonal norms. DEP publishes weekly reservoir storage reports on its website, broken down by individual reservoir and by system (Delaware, Catskill, and Croton). The combined system figure of 67.8% of capacity as of early 2026 is the headline number, but the Delaware System's individual levels matter most because those reservoirs hold the largest volumes and take the longest to refill.

Does the drought affect my water bill, and are surcharges coming?

At Stage 1, no drought surcharges have been imposed by DEP or by most Westchester utilities. Drought surcharges — additional fees assessed per unit of water consumed above a baseline allocation — are a Stage 3 or Stage 4 tool in most New York utility frameworks. That said, any increase in outdoor watering will naturally increase your metered consumption and therefore your bill. DEP's current billing structure charges tiered rates based on volume, so customers who irrigate heavily through summer 2026 will see higher charges simply from consumption, independent of any surcharge. If DEP escalates to Stage 2 and beyond, conservation-rate structures that aggressively penalize above-baseline use may be activated.

What triggers Stage 2, and how quickly could restrictions get tighter?

DEP has publicly identified a specific trigger: if May 2026 precipitation across the Catskill and Delaware watershed regions falls below 60% of the long-term normal, automatic escalation to Stage 2 restrictions will follow. At Stage 2, mandatory odd/even watering restrictions would extend to all five boroughs, commercial car washing would be restricted, and landscape irrigation by commercial operators would require permits. The transition from Stage 1 to Stage 2 can happen in a matter of days once the precipitation data is compiled and reviewed by the DEP Commissioner. Residents should watch the DEP's public communications closely in late May 2026 for any announcement of escalation.

Are there free resources or rebates I can access right now to reduce my water use?

Yes. New York City DEP offers free Water Conservation Kits to all residential account holders, available through its website or by calling DEP's customer service line. Kits include low-flow showerheads, faucet aerators, and leak detection tablets. DEP's toilet rebate program has historically offered $75 to $125 per WaterSense-certified toilet replacement. Westchester Joint Water Works members can access rebates of $100 for high-efficiency clothes washers and $75 to $150 for smart irrigation controllers. NYSERDA supports conservation planning grants for municipalities and commercial water users. Cornell Cooperative Extension offices in every county offer free water audit consultations for residential and agricultural users.

Can I wash my car at home during Stage 1?

At the current Stage 1 level, home car washing with a hose is not prohibited, but both DEP and Westchester utilities strongly recommend using a commercial car wash rather than a home hose, since commercial facilities recycle wash water and use significantly less per vehicle. If you do wash at home, DEP recommends using a bucket and sponge rather than a running hose, and using a nozzle with an automatic shutoff if a hose is used. Leaving a hose running freely while washing a vehicle constitutes water waste under DEP rules and can result in a notice even outside declared drought conditions. Stage 2 would bring explicit home car-washing restrictions across most affected utilities.

Does the drought declaration affect farmers and agricultural water users differently?

Agricultural water users in New York operate under a different regulatory framework than municipal customers. Farms that draw directly from streams, rivers, or ponds — rather than from a municipal water system — are regulated under New York State DEC's Water Withdrawal Permit Program under Environmental Conservation Law Section 15-1501. During drought conditions, DEC may work with the State Drought Management Task Force to issue guidance or voluntary curtailment requests to large agricultural withdrawers, particularly those drawing from streams already under stress such as tributaries of the Delaware or upper Hudson. Farms served by municipal systems are subject to the same restrictions as other customers. Cornell Cooperative Extension's agricultural programs provide drought management guidance specific to different crop types and irrigation systems across New York's diverse farming regions.