The long term forecast for Pennsylvania's water table is not promising, said Pennsylvania Secretary of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) David Hess.

In his keynote speech to the Pennsylvania Rural Water Association (PRWA) yesterday, an organization that provides assistance to watersheds across the commonwealth, Hess discussed the states drought situation.

"Even with normal precipitation levels, the drought is likely to worsen," Hess said.

Of the 67 counties in Pennsylvania, 24 are under a drought emergency and most others are under either warnings or watches.

Although Centre County is currently only under a drought watch, Brian Swistock, a water and resource specialist in the Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences, said the DEP is likely to upgrade conditions to a more severe status in the coming months.

The greatest time for concern is late summer, Swistock said.

The water table should peak in about a month's time and then gradually decline throughout the summer, he said.

"An emergency status that would include water bans is certainly a possibility later in the summer," Swistock said.

Rainfall will likely provide sufficient water for agriculture, gardens and lawns in the short term, Swistock said.

The thing to be concerned about is reduction of the water table, Swistock said.

The vast majority of water used by the university and State College is drawn from wells, he added.

Hess stressed the important role the university and its students can play in conserving water during the shortage.

The university has installed water saving shower heads and has used wastewater as a source for some of its irrigation, Hess said.

"Students can do a lot," he said. "Thousands of students can make a real impact."

Hess plans to travel to Elizabethtown College next week to present gold spigot awards to the winners of a dorm competition to conserve water.

Students have been able to conserve a great deal of water just by shortening the length of showers, he said.

Some of the male students at Elizabethtown just cut back on the number of showers they take, Hess joked.

The Penn State Office of Cooperative Extension offers numerous publications on methods residents of the community can take to conserve water during a drought.

This includes students living in the dorms, as well as those who live off-campus.

Executive Director of the PRWA John Hood said the conference is being held at the Penn Stater Hotel through today.

Exhibits which focus on water conservation methods that can be helpful are open to the public throughout the hotel.