Bethlehem, PA Landscaping Rules: Water Restrictions (2026)

Bethlehem's water system is unusual among Pennsylvania third-class cities because the City owns its supply through the Bethlehem Authority, a municipal authority whose reservoirs in Penn Forest and Tunkhannock Townships (Carbon and Monroe Counties) hold approximately 10 billion gallons within roughly 23,000 acres of protected Pocono Mountain watershed. The City's Department of Water and Sewer Resources serves approximately 36,000 connections (about 120,000 people) in the City of Bethlehem plus portions of 11 surrounding municipalities in Lehigh and Northampton Counties. Article 911 of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Bethlehem (Water Regulations) authorizes the City to request voluntary curtailment of non-essential water use during a short-term supply shortage and, if voluntary cooperation does not achieve satisfactory results, to impose mandatory conservation measures. Statewide drought stages are declared by PA DEP under the Pennsylvania Drought Emergency Act (35 Pa.C.S. emergency management framework and the implementing regulations at 4 Pa. Code Chapter 119) in coordination with the Commonwealth Drought Task Force. PA DEP declares Drought Watch (voluntary 5% conservation), Drought Warning (voluntary 10-15% reduction and recommended restrictions), or Drought Emergency (mandatory restrictions by gubernatorial proclamation). Lehigh and Northampton Counties have been placed on Drought Watch in recent declaration cycles. During a statewide Drought Emergency, mandatory measures typically prohibit lawn watering, non-recirculating fountains, and pool filling.