(Undated) - Even though our area received some much needed rain Wednesday, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources is asking residents to conserve water.

The DNR and Indiana Department of Homeland Security have placed much of southern Indiana under a water shortage warning. Counties included are Bartholomew, Brown, Clark, Crawford, Dearborn, Decatur, Dubois, Floyd, Franklin, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Lawrence, Martin, Monroe, Ohio, Orange, Perry, Ripley, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, Switzerland, Union and Washington.

A water shortage warning is second most severe stage, and a water shortage emergency is the most extreme condition. A watch is the mildest of three drought phases.

The DNR says the goal of the warning is a voluntary 10 to 15 percent reduction in current water use.

Public water utilities in those affected counties will update their water shortage contingency plans.

According to the National Weather Service, about one quarter inch of rain fell across much of the Eagle 99.3 listening area on Wednesday. Over the past 90 days, only between two to three inches of precipitation has been observed during a period when about 10 inches of rainfall is normal.