Drought

A burn ban took effect in Hendry County on March 7 and prohibits bonfires, campfires, burning of trash or yard waste and any other outdoor fire except for cooking using an enclosed propane or charcoal grill. WGCU 90.1 FM (Fort Myers, Fla.), March 8, 2023

Collier County officials declared a burn ban on March 3 as the Keetch-Byram Drought Index rose toward the upper end of the 0 to 800 scale, where higher numbers indicate drier conditions. Forestry professionals suggest that the fire season will be active in the region. The burn ban includes all unincorporated areas, but exempts certain commercial burning and controlled fires, per the Florida Forest Service. This ban does not affect the sale of fireworks, but does prohibit their use. WGCU 90.1 FM Fort Myers (Fort Myers, Fla.), March 8, 2023

Stage 1 of Avondale’s Drought Preparedness Plan was declared on Feb. 15 at the recommendation of the city’s Water Resources Division. Under Drought Stage 1, the city of Avondale will strive to increase water conservation in the city’s operations and provide more awareness and education to water customers. The prompt to move to State 1 of the Drought Preparedness Plan was based on the possibility of minimal water shortages or drought conditions within the next year. About a third of Avondale’s water comes from the Colorado River, which was in a Tier 2a shortage. The city anticipates additional reductions in supply from the Colorado River late in 2023 or 2024. West Valley View (Goodyear, Ariz.), March 6, 2023

Most counties in the Texas Panhandle remained under burn bans, amid high winds and high fire risk. This time of year is considered to be the dormant fire season, per the Texas A&M Forest Service. KAMR-TV NBC 4 Amarillo (Texas), Feb 27, 2023

Forage sorghum has become an attractive option for dairies and feedlots in Texas and Oklahoma as some areas have less well water due to falling aquifer levels. Less sorghum was planted in 2022, but some market analysts expect an increase in sorghum in 2023 because it requires less water than wheat or corn. Brownfield Ag News (Jefferson City, Mo.), Feb 27, 2023

Water releases from Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Utah were being suspended as requested by four upper Colorado River Basin states. The water was to boost the level of Lake Powell, which in late February fell to its lowest level since the reservoir filled in the 1960s. Above-normal snowpack and precipitation in the West were also expected to help refill Lake Powell. The water releases from Flaming Gorge were originally meant to continue through April. CNN (Atlanta, Ga.), March 7, 2023 Four Upper Colorado River Basin states are asking the Bureau of Reclamation to suspend water releases from Flaming Gorge Reservoir to allow heavy snowpack to raise the level of the reservoir rather than continuing to send water downstream to Lake Powell. The states would like the water releases to end on March 1 rather than continue through April as planned. The Upper Basin states also want the Lower Basin states to understand that water cannot be released downstream at will. As of Feb. 28, winter precipitation was above average in Colorado, Wyoming and Utah. KUNC-FM 91.5 (Greeley, Colo.), Feb 27, 2023

Soil moisture was short to adequate in most North Texas counties. Most areas received rain over the past few weeks. Temperatures were up and down. Wheat and oats were improving with the recent moisture and should make more progress in the coming weeks if temperatures stay warm. Producers were fertilizing pastures. Livestock were grazing cool-season grasses. Hay was still in high demand. Livestock conditions were good overall. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Feb 28, 2023 Soil moisture was short to adequate across North Texas. Heavy rainfall left some pastures soaked and muddy. Some sunshine would help grazing conditions amid the hay shortage. Wheat conditions were below normal due to the recent winter freeze. Hay was still in high demand. Livestock conditions were good. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Feb 22, 2023 Soil moisture levels were short to adequate. Most areas were short on moisture, but producers in other areas were dealing with extremely wet conditions. A light freeze occurred. Some counties were struggling to recover from the hard freeze earlier this winter. Most ponds were filled by the rainfall. Wheat and oat conditions were improving. Hay was still in short supply in some areas. Cedar tree pollen was high. Livestock conditions were good. AgriLife (Texas A&M) (College Station, Texas), Feb 14, 2023

All areas of West Central Texas needed rain, and a quick moving storm delivered trace amounts to a few areas. Wheat and oat fields needed significant moisture. Plants, including fruit trees, were breaking dormancy due to temperatures in the high-70s and low-80s. Rangeland and pasture conditions improved slightly with some cool-season grasses being grazed by livestock and wildlife. Livestock diets continued to be supplemented, but hay supplies were getting low. Some livestock producers continued to sell cattle to reduce herd sizes. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Feb 28, 2023 West Central Texas pastures were greening up and creating some grazing for livestock. High winds dried the topsoil some. Wheat and oats continued to grow and provided some grazing, while oats in some locations were not expected to recover from the extreme cold in December. Many farmers were talking about sprigging some Coastal Bermuda grass this spring if it continues to stay wet. Local cattle prices were up significantly for feeders. There were also a few more small herd liquidations as drought conditions and lack of hay force selloffs. Some field preparation for Sudan grass planting continued. AgriLife (Texas A&M) (College Station, Texas), Feb 22, 2023 West Central Texas pastures were still short on grazing, and producers were feeding livestock hay and supplements. AgriLife (Texas A&M) (College Station, Texas), Feb 14, 2023

Weather in Southwest Texas was warm, dry and windy with no rain reported. Lack of moisture was limiting winter weed and grass growth. Corn and sorghum plantings were underway. Irrigated winter wheat and oats were in fair to good shape. Rangelands continued to be dry as lambing and kidding continued. Spring shearing was underway. Livestock were receiving supplemental feed and in mostly fair condition. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Feb 28, 2023 No precipitation was reported in Southwest Texas. Temperatures were warmer before a strong cold front brought cooler temperatures and gusty winds. Corn planting was expected to start soon. Farmers finished fertilizing in preparation of planting. Oats and wheat looked better following rains in the past few weeks. Pastures continued to improve, but more spring rains will be needed for recovery. Supplemental feeding of livestock continued. Cattle prices were steady to high. AgriLife (Texas A&M) (College Station, Texas), Feb 22, 2023 Moisture conditions improved, but some areas of Southwest Texas remained dry. Wheat and oats looked fair to good under irrigation, and very few winter weeds were emerging. Supplemental feeding for livestock continued but decreased. AgriLife (Texas A&M) (College Station, Texas), Feb 14, 2023

The East Bay Municipal Utility District ended its drought surcharge on March 1 as winter storms refilled reservoirs. The 8% surcharge took effect on July 1, 2022, and was used to purchase additional water supplies and expenses. Since fall 2022, EBMUD has spent $19 million on supplemental water. Incredible precipitation has pushed EBMUD’s reservoirs to 82% of capacity. The drought surcharge has already covered drought expenses for the fiscal year, so the surcharge has been dropped. In 2022, East Bay customers used 32,000 fewer acre-feet of water than in 2020. As of March, 2 2023, EBMUD remained in a stage 2 drought with a mandated 10% reduction in water use and other directives, such as watering outdoors no more than thrice weekly, no pavement washing, etc. Berkeleyside (Berkeley, Calif.), March 2, 2023 The East Bay Municipal Utility District voted to add a drought surcharge to water bills starting July 1. The fee will be an 8% surcharge over the amount normally paid for water and is expected to bring in about $30 million in the next year. KTVU (Oakland, Calif.), May 10, 2022

Texas cotton growers were planting 20% less cotton in 2023, compared to 2022 when intense drought led to a high abandonment rate. Texas Public Radio (San Antonio, Texas), Feb 24, 2023

Drought and high winds killed some of the wheat near Spearman in Hansford County. Enough rain fell to get the crop to germinate, but was not sufficient to keep the crop alive. North of Littlefield in Lamb County, a dryland winter wheat grower estimated losses of at least 80%. He also noted that it was so bad that the dry, windy weather even killed some of the irrigated wheat in the area as the area resembled the Dust Bowl. The dry conditions led the farmer to reconsider his spring planting plans. He might plant sorghum instead of corn because the sorghum needs less water. While farmers are recommended to plant cover crops to prevent soil erosion amid strong winds as have affected the region, farmers in the area might be wiser to leave cover on, because it takes water to produce a cover crop. Cattle producers who would typically let the cattle graze the wheat were also having to make other plans. Drovers Cattle Network (Lenexa, Kan.), Feb 27, 2023

Rains were localized and many parts of Far West Texas received trace amounts to nothing. Conditions in the Davis Mountains were extremely windy and cold with gusts of up to 80 mph, and low temperatures in the teens. Sustained winds of 40 mph were reported around the district. Wheat was starting to joint but was showing moisture stress. The few wheat acres being irrigated looked decent and may be taken to harvest amid attractive prices. Fieldwork slowed except for growers going over fields to prevent the topsoil from blowing away due to high winds. Pre-watering began for a few growers and will significantly increase in coming weeks. Pastures were bare except for a few weeds in low spots. Livestock were in poor to fair condition, and supplemental feeding continued. No major damage from freezing temperatures was reported, but conditions were hard on livestock during lambing. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Feb 22, 2023 Some Far West farmers were hitting orchards and remaining alfalfa fields with irrigation still available from the water district. Irrigation was expected to increase in the coming weeks. Pastures were still bare with just a few weeds emerging. Livestock were in poor to fair condition and receiving supplemental hay and feed. AgriLife (Texas A&M) (College Station, Texas), Feb 14, 2023

The Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District opted to remain in drought Stage 4, the most severe, in Burnet County during the Board of Directors regular meeting on Feb. 17. Although the county has seen slight increases in soil moisture, groundwater is still at historic drought levels. Well level typically rebound during the winter when there is less pumping, but they haven’t rebounded much. Stage 4 of the district’s drought management plan recommends 30 percent voluntary water use reductions for county residents, no outdoor watering, no filling of pools or reservoirs, no washing of sidewalks, no water for dust control, and leak-proof livestock troughs. In December, mandatory 15% water restrictions were enacted for permitted users, due to alarmingly low groundwater levels. DailyTrib.com (Marble Falls, Texas), Feb 21, 2023

Marin Municipal Water District adopted a new plan that will trigger water conservation measures and usage restrictions earlier and more often. The district Board of Directors voted unanimously to adopt the new conservation triggers on Feb. 21. The plan will enact either mandatory or voluntary conservation measures and potential drought surcharges on rates based on reservoir storage levels as of April 1 of each year. The plan also has a drought surcharge component that would take effect when reservoir levels fall below 65,000 acre-feet. Marin Independent Journal (Calif.), Feb 22, 2023

Jacob’s Well in Hays County was closed to swimmers indefinitely, due to unsafe conditions. Drought reduced the flow of the stream, affecting water quality. Tours of the site to share history, geology and ecology of the area continued. KEYE-TV We are Austin.com (Texas), Feb 23, 2023

Ongoing drought in the Texas Panhandle was adversely affecting cattle production as rangelands were dry. Ag producers and ranchers would be wise to have a rotational grazing system and a drought management plan. The shortage of forage in the past few years has already led to the culling of non-producing cows and young females. Too many producers overgraze, and the grass cannot grow back. ABC 7 News (Amarillo, Texas), Feb 22, 2023

Deschutes County commissioners approved a local declaration of emergency and drought emergency. Local irrigation districts can expect less water similar to 2022. Wickiup Reservoir was about half of its capacity, will likely only fill to about 130,000 acre-feet and is expected to peak around April 1 at near-record low levels. KTVZ-TV NewsChannel 21 (Redmond, Ore.), Feb 22, 2023 Deschutes County commissioners will consider asking for a state drought declaration. If the Board were to approve the request, it would be the county’s fourth year under the designation. KBND-AM 1110 (Bend, Ore.), Feb 22, 2023

A new adaptive boat ramp was installed at Callville Bay in mid-January, allowing boat access despite falling water levels. Callville Bay previously closed in March 2022, forcing boaters to travel to Hemenway Harbor to launch. KTNV-TV Online (Las Vegas, Nev.), Feb 21, 2023

Residents of Fort Myers were urged to conserve water as water use was higher than normal, and the area was abnormally dry to moderately dry on the U.S. Drought Monitor. Water use was highest in 2022 at an average of 8.8 million gallons daily. Recent water use has topped that at an average of 9.1 million gallons of water daily and continued to rise. WGCU 90.1 FM Fort Myers (Fla.), Feb 20, 2023