SANFORD — York County may be facing its worst drought in more than a decade, causing wells to dry up and prompting emergency management officials to urge residents to conserve water.

Rainfall is down almost 13 inches from normal since Jan. 1, a meteorologist from the National Weather Service in Gray said Friday.

Most of Maine’s southernmost county is in an extreme drought – and so are portions of Cumberland, Androscoggin, Sagadahoc, Lincoln and Kennebec. All other Maine counties, with the exception of Aroostook County, are experiencing drought conditions, but the southern counties are in the worst shape.

It’s dry – some say the driest it has been since the 2002 drought. And there’s little rain in the forecast for York County except for some scattered showers Saturday night, unless Hurricane Matthew make an unexpected turn north.

However, the Maine Drought Task Force on Thursday reported a “fair” chance that precipitation will be above normal in the state over the next two weeks.

A handful of people have reported to the York County Emergency Management Agency that their dug wells are drying up. Deputy Director David Francoeur said the agency believes there are more folks out there with dry wells, and they’re asking people to call 211 to report it.

“It will take a lot of gentle rain and a lot of snow over the winter and snow melt” to alleviate the drought, Francoeur said.

MEMA is advising people with dry wells not to import water into their wells from other sources due to possible contamination. MEMA officials also say imported water would remain in the well only temporarily. The agency recommends using a clean temporary storage container instead.

Meteorologist James Brown of the National Weather Service in Gray on Friday said rainfall is down in York County 12.85 inches since the beginning of the year.

Similarly, groundwater, as measured at a monitoring well in Sanford – the only one in York County – is just a foot away from its lowest period in the early 2000s, said Nick Stasulis of the Maine office of the U.S. Geological Survey.

On Thursday, the groundwater was 20.04 feet below the land surface; in November 2002, it was 21.3 feet below land surface, he said.

“Without a recharge, it will continue to drop,” said Stasulis. “October and November tends to see the lowest levels.”

The Maine Drought Task Force reported rainfall in Sanford at 54 percent of normal in September and 60 percent of normal in Hollis.

In 2002, about 17,000 wells went dry statewide, Stasulis said. At that time, folks improved their wells or drilled wells, replacing old dug wells.

Some may be able to do that this year. The state’s housing authority, MaineHousing, in partnership with the state’s community action agencies, is making $250,000 available to provide drought relief to income-eligible households without potable water.

Funds are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis. Affected households can contact York County Community Action Corporation at 324-5762 to determine their eligibility and to schedule an appointment to apply to have their well inspected for damage specifically brought on by the drought and a determination of the best course of action to provide relief.

“We’re not yet in a state of emergency, but if conditions continue to worsen, we may have to consider that,” said MEMA director Bruce Fitzgerald following a meeting of the state’s drought task force on Thursday. “Although conservation measures are voluntary at this point, it’s important that everyone take steps to conserve to help prevent worsening conditions.”

Residents of the Kennebunk, Kennebunkport & Wells Water District, which also includes Ogunquit and Arundel, who are having problems with their private wells as a result of the ongoing drought can get free drinking water from the water district. Folks may bring their clean (up to 5-gallon size) containers to either the business office at 92 Main St, or the water treatment plant at 135 York St., both in Kennebunk, and self-fill at the clearly marked faucet in the front of each building.

MEMA is urging residents to use water wisely by taking shorter showers, turning the tap off when brushing teeth or shaving, fixing leaky sinks and toilets, doing full laundry and dish loads, and discontinuing outdoor watering unless absolutely necessary.

— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 324-4444 (local call in Sanford) or 282-1535, ext. 327 or [email protected].