For the first time in eight years, the state Department of Environmental Protection has declared a drought warning in New Jersey amid an unprecedented wave of dry weather that has led to shrinking water supplies and a rash of wildfires.

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The action, officially known as a “water supply drought warning,” covers the entire state and gives the DEP greater authority to ensure that water suppliers distribute and transfer enough drinking water to each region, particularly the areas with the lowest supplies.

It also allows the state to order water companies to develop alternative sources of water in case their current supplies drop dangerously low.

The drought warning does not call for any mandatory water use restrictions or bans. Gov. Phil Murphy 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 the state can take during serious droughts.

Despite the lack of mandatory water-use restrictions, Murphy called the drought warning “an incredibly serious situation” and strongly urged residents across the state to reduce their water consumption.

While Murphy joked that the state cannot monitor how long people take showers inside their homes, he and other state officials said people need to be serious about taking simple steps, such as shorter showers, avoiding the use of lawn sprinklers, making sure dishwashers are full before running them, and turning the water faucet off while brushing your teeth.

During a virtual press briefing Wednesday, the governor stressed how big of a strain that months of extremely dry weather have had on water storage levels and also how the dry conditions have triggered scores of wildfires during the past two months.

“The numbers are frankly staggering,” Murphy said. “Since early October, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service has responded to 537 fires. To put that into context, that is 500 more fires than we saw during the exact same period last year.” “Put differently, that’s a 1,300 percent increase,” he added.

Greg McLaughlin, administrator of state office of natural lands and forests, said the average number of wildfires in New Jersey in any given year is 1,000. But this year, there’s been a 30% increase.

In terms of how many acres of land have been burned, the state’s average number in one year is about 4,000, and this year the number has soared to 11,000 acres.

Wednesday’s announcement of the drought warning came just one day after a special public hearing was held and many residents and environmental groups urged the state to take quick actions to ensure New Jersey has enough water for drinking, watering crops and fighting fires.

Some speakers at the hearing accused the state of waiting too long to take decisive steps, saying water use restrictions should have been required instead of voluntary.

Tips to conserve water

State officials offer these tips to help reduce water consumption:

Homeowners should let their lawns go dormant, which is appropriate at this time of year.

Refrain from watering your lawn, and turn sprinkler systems off automatic timers.

Use a hose with a hand-held nozzle to water flowers and shrubs, or let them go dormant.

Use a broom, rather than a hose, to sweep sidewalks.

Wash vehicles with a bucket and do not run the hose more than necessary, or use a commercial car wash that recycles water.

Only use dishwashers and washing machines if there’s a full load.

Turn the water faucet off while brushing your teeth.

Fix leaky faucets and pipes inside your home.

Consider replacing your toilet with a low-flow version; this can save about 11,000 gallons of water per year.

Upgrade your shower head to low-flow versions, which can save about 7,700 gallons per year.

Upgrade your faucets or install faucet aerators; this can save about 16,000 gallons per year.

For more information about the state’s water supply status, water conservation tips and other details about the drought warning, go to the DEP’s drought page at www.njdrought.org.

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