Warren, PA — Many local well owners are facing an unusual problem.  Their wells are running dry. Some wells that have supplied families for more than 85 years are no longer producing water, and farmers in the area are noticing the effects as well.

Jillianne Higgs, office manager at Warren Webster Plumbing & Heating, says changing weather patterns are largely to blame. “We are finding with these mild winters and then dry falls and even springs, wells are not recovering like they should," Higgs explained. "It takes ten inches of snow to make a well recover one inch of water, and it has to be snow as rain runs off too quick." 

Warren County grain farmer Richard Harrington noted the impact on local agriculture. “Last year was a tough winter and then it got really dry. I know a lot of people who’ve had trouble with wells and different well water conditions,” he said.

Experts say the ongoing dry conditions make wells unpredictable. While options like drilling deeper or moving a well exist, they can be costly. For now, conservation is the most practical approach. Higgs advised, “You can't put water back into the ground, so right now it's just conserving as best as you can and, as much as I don't want to say it, hope for a very snowy winter.”

Authorities and residents alike are keeping an eye on weather patterns, with hope that heavier snowfall and steadier rainfall in the coming years will help restore water levels.