New York State under drought watch

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- New York environmental regulators have issued a drought watch covering the entire state.

The Department of Environmental Conservation says Friday precipitation has been below normal for nine months, leading to lower stream follows and reduce groundwater.

A "watch" is the lowest of four advisories. The last drought watch was in 2002.

People are being urged to conserve water by doing things like fixing dripping faucets and toilets and using outdoor watering systems that automatically skip watering in wet weather. There are no mandatory statewide restrictions at this point.