The state is in a drought watch for the first time since 2002

• Rhode Island’s governor has issued a statewide drought watch due to low precipitation and declining water levels.
• The state has received 13 inches less precipitation than average over the past year.
• Officials are urging residents and businesses to conserve water as the state enters the highest-demand season.

Concerns about the supply of fresh water are growing as Governor Dan McKee declared a drought watch on Wednesday and outdoor water use has been banned in some communities.

Westerly announced a ban on Friday, July 3, a few days after bans were implemented for Veolia Rhode Island water customers in South Kingstown and Narragansett.

On Wednesday, July 1, McKee issued a statewide drought watch on the recommendation of the state’s Drought Steering Committee, his office announced. It is the first drought watch for the state since 2002.

The watch followed an advisory last month, his office said. According to McKee’s office, a watch is the second of the following four progressive drought declarations: advisory, watch, warning and emergency.

According to McKee’s office, the committee recommended the watch based on “prolonged precipitation deficits extending back to June 2025, record-breaking low and steadily worsening stream flows, and rapidly declining groundwater levels across the state, with increasing dry conditions heading into the months of highest water demand.”

Summer brings highest demand for water

McKee said, “While our water supply is designed to withstand some level of drought, Rhode Islanders should be aware of the current conditions. As we head into the summer, which is the highest-demand season for water use, we strongly encourage residents and businesses to implement conservation measures now.”

Meredith Brady, chair of the Drought Steering Committee, said, “Rhode Island has received 13 inches less precipitation over the past 12 months than expected in an average year, which is having a profound impact on our groundwater aquifers.”

She said groundwater reservoir and streamflow patterns are at levels typically seen in August, not June.

“This is the most patriotic town in the United States,” Little said. “We always take it as seriously as if it was USA 250.”

The town’s “patriotic exercises,” first led by the Reverend Henry Wight on July 4, 1785, are what allows it to lay claim as the oldest continuous celebration of the nation’s independence. (The parade itself has been canceled a handful of times, most recently in 1881 when President Garfield was shot on July 2.)

Serious parade-goers stake out their spots the night before and stay put, but the official rules say you cannot put out a blanket or chair until 5 a.m. on parade day.

More than 30 floats will be in this year’s procession, which is officially called the Military, Civic and Firemen’s Parade. Electoral politics are banned; candidates for office are not allowed to march, though certain current office-holders are allowed in. (The rule once drew the ire of the late Buddy Cianci, a former Providence mayor who was barred from the parade while running for governor in 1980 and showed up anyway, arriving by helicopter.)

“If you’re in Bristol, you’re not a Democrat, you’re not a Republican on this day,” Little said. “We really and truly are united in that we are thankful for our freedoms.”

The planning for the parade, now in its 241st year, takes place year-round; the committee starts meeting in August to plan next year. It costs $250,000 to throw the celebration, which is entirely funded by donations, Little said. There are more than 100 volunteers.

Fireworks are set for July 3 at 9:30 p.m. over Bristol harbor. Patriotic exercises will take place at 8:30 a.m. on July 4 at Colt Memorial School, followed by the parade at 10:30, which steps off from the corner of Hope and Chestnut streets.

Near the end of the parade route, where workers were setting up a stage Wednesday, visitors came from around New England to get a glimpse of a Rhode Island copy of the Declaration of Independence printed in 1777.

The broadside of the document was printed on stiff parchment and yellowed with age. The sheet was guarded by local police and a Rhode Island State Patrolman, and set behind a glass frame.

The first Congress-authorized copies of the Declaration with the names of the signers were printed by Connecticut native and printer Mary Katherine Goddard, who ran a print shop in Baltimore. Goddard “risked her life and livelihood” by including her name on the copies, according to the Bristol Historical and Preservation Society.

Seeing Goddard’s name on the document was an “emotional experience” for Sara Sooknah of Bristol because Goddard was so involved, Sooknah said.

On some of Goddard’s prints, her name has been crossed out.

“I was so happy to see a woman was involved at that time with the development of our country,” she said. It was just a beautiful thing to see. It was emotional to see this actual document.”

Sooknah said she and her partner, Raj, who was born on the Fourth of July, weren’t initially aware it was an American holiday until they moved to the US from England, said they have traveled the world and been to places “you wish had freedom,” particularly for women. The couple met in Saudi Arabia.

“We’re just going to continue to be grateful for what we have in this country every day,” Sooknah said. “Because we both traveled around the world, we get to see how much we have to be grateful for in this country.”

Janet Clancy of Barrington, who also viewed the Declaration of Independence at the John Post Reynolds School in Bristol — now the Reynolds Art & Wellness Center — said she is planning to watch the parade on July 4 and the fireworks afterward. Clancy said she was raised on the West Coast and the Fourth always included backyard picnics and fireworks.

Since she has lived in Rhode Island, her Independence Day tradition has always been going to the Bristol parade and parties.

“I was 12 during the bicentennial,” said Clancy, who has all of the quarters the US Mint issued to commemorate the occasion. “When they bring in the tall ships here, or even in Boston, we don’t have that on the West Coast. I think that brings you back 250 years.”

Catherine Zipf, executive director of the Bristol Historical and Preservation Society, said the 250th anniversary brings an opportunity to return to America’s roots at an opportune moment.

“We really need to remember why we did want to separate from Britain, why we did declare our independence, what it was about our founding principles that we wanted to be equal, that we wanted to be pursuing life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and all of that,” Zipf said. This is a good moment to be reminded of the founding principles and that we have some work to do.”

Constitutional rights under intense debate include immigration, due process, reproductive rights, freedom of speech and assembly, separation of powers, birthright citizenship, and more.

“To me, the principles of the Constitution are holding up,” Zipf said. “It’s holding its own nicely against some pretty significant attacks and I think in the end it seems to me that we’re coming around to that the principles were correct in the first place.”

Zipf said that having the opportunity to show people American history through the lens of living history reenactors and unique documents like real copies of the Declaration of Independence, helps to reinforce the values the US was built on.

“I feel strongly that looking at original documents matters, that the authenticity of the object that we’re looking at is really important,” she said. “I think people feel differently when they get to see the original, as opposed to a picture on the internet. There’s a palpable quality … it makes an impact on people.”

Carlos Muñoz can be reached at carlos.munoz@globe.com. Follow him @ReadCarlos and on Instagram @Carlosbrknews. Steph Machado can be reached at steph.machado@globe.com. Follow her @StephMachado.

The Rhode Island Department of Health and Department of Environmental Management are advising people to avoid contact with three waterbodies, including Upper Melville Pond in Portsmouth, because of harmful algae blooms.

The advisory also applies to Wenscott Reservoir in North Providence and Wilson Reservoir in Burrillville. Water samples were collected by DEM and tested by the Health Department’s State Health Laboratories, and initial samples at all three locations exceeded the advisory threshold.

All recreation, including swimming, fishing, boating and kayaking, is considered high risk and should be avoided at the affected waterbodies, the agencies said. The blooms are caused by blue-green algae, also known as cyanobacteria, which are naturally present in bodies of water but can produce toxins harmful to humans and animals.

Officials urged caution in all areas of the three waterbodies, as blooms can move locations within ponds and lakes. People should not drink untreated water or eat fish from the affected waters, and pet owners should not allow pets to drink or swim in them. The advisory remains in effect until further notice, with follow-up samples to be collected to confirm the water is safe before it is lifted.

Skin contact with water containing the blooms can cause rashes, sore throat and irritation of the eyes and nose, while swallowing the water can cause stomachache, diarrhea, vomiting and nausea. More serious but less common effects may affect the liver and nervous system or cause irregular heartbeat, dizziness or seizures. Young children, pets and people who are immunocompromised or have certain underlying health conditions may be at greater risk.

Anyone who comes into contact with a bloom should rinse their skin with clean water right away and shower and wash their clothes afterward. Pets exposed to the water should be washed immediately and kept from licking algae from their fur, and a veterinarian should be called if a pet shows signs of illness such as tiredness, loss of appetite, vomiting or diarrhea within a day. People who feel sick after contact should call a healthcare provider.

Officials said affected waters may show bright to dark green scum along the shoreline, with thick algae floating on the surface resembling green paint, pea soup or green cottage cheese. People and pets should avoid any water that looks like this.

Suspected blooms can be reported to DEM’s Office of Water Resources at DEM.OWRCyano@dem.ri.gov or by calling 401-222-4700. More information and a Cyanobacteria Tracker Dashboard listing current advisories are available at dem.ri.gov/bluegreen.