An East Coast drought this week forced a regional planning agency to suspend water withdrawals for 10 hydraulic fracturing companies in Pennsylvania.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission triggered the water stoppages under an agreement signed with the companies that limits their right to water when dry conditions persist. The decision affects 17 individual water withdrawals in five Pennsylvania counties.

The commission's executive director, Paul Swartz, in a statement said the majority of the suspensions are related to natural gas development.

"Hydrologic conditions [in the Susquehanna basin] have been on a steady decline for some time following a winter with very little snow and below normal rainfall this spring," Swartz said.

The commission's "passby" requirements say the companies cannot resume taking water until streams have risen to protected levels for 48 hours.

The regional agency monitors streamflow data with help from the U.S. Geological Survey. The statement from Swartz said the drought has led to limited water restrictions starting in February. If the drought continues, Swartz said more withdrawals will be blocked.

The dry winter has also led to a spate of wildfires throughout the region and warnings issued to homeowners in New Jersey and New York.

More than 60 percent of the continental United States is experiencing abnormally dry conditions or drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. This is the driest the country has been since September 2007.

A forecast from AccuWeather.com says rain is expected in the region this weekend, but it will not likely be enough to overturn the water suspensions.

Sullivan is based in New York.