Pollution, overdevelopment, and years of government inaction are placing a growing strain on the state’s water supply
By Jeff Tittel, The Jersey Vindicator, May 17, 2026
New Jersey’s drought crisis is no longer simply about a lack of rain. It is about decades of political failure, weak environmental planning, overdevelopment, polluted waterways, and a state government that continues to ignore the growing threat to our water supply.
Today, the entire state is experiencing drought conditions, with nearly half under severe drought, and those conditions continue to expand. Reservoirs remain below normal, groundwater levels are depleted, and stream flows in many regions are 75% to 90% below normal. Yet despite these warning signs, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has failed to implement the aggressive conservation measures, planning reforms, and pollution controls needed to protect public health and the environment.
New Jersey has serious water problems and could become the first state on the East Coast to run out of water. This is because we face major issues with both water quality and quantity due to overdevelopment and a legacy of toxic pollution. The drought is exposing the reality that New Jersey’s water system is badly broken.
