Rich Keyes, who has spent 40 years drilling water wells, said he has never seen conditions this severe.
"It's absolutely a groundwater emergency," Keyes said.
About 40 percent of Chester County residents rely on wells for their water, and Keyes said he has received a growing number of calls from homeowners dealing with depleted supplies.
The state has placed four Pennsylvania counties, including Chester, under a drought warning, while the rest of the region remains under a drought watch.
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is asking residents to help conserve water after a dry spring. Officials are recommending a voluntary reduction in water usage of 10% to 15%, even with rain in the forecast.
SeungAh Byun, of the Chester County water resources authority, said recent rainfall has not been enough to replenish groundwater levels.
"It's probably not going to be enough. Even when we had four inches two weekends ago, it wasn't enough to recharge the groundwater wells," Byun said.
County officials are encouraging simple conservation measures, such as taking shorter showers, skipping car washes and avoiding lawn watering.
For now, the reductions are voluntary, but authorities warn that they could change if conditions worsen. Some homeowners are already reporting low water levels.
"And we've heard from some homeowners who have low water levels," Byun said.
Keyes said it will take significant rainfall to reverse the drought's impact and warned the situation could deteriorate further.
"No matter where you get your water from, if there's a lack of rain, then we could really, really be heading for a bad fall/winter," he said.
Officials in the state of Delaware declared a drought watch as dry conditions persist across the region.