Drought

Another set of human remains was found at Lake Mead National Recreation Area east of Las Vegas, according to authorities. This is the fourth body recovered since May as drought lowers the water level at Lake Mead, exposing more lake bed, shoreline and plenty of previously submerged objects. The Associated Press (New York), Aug 7, 2022

Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee issued a statewide drought advisory on Aug. 9, based on the recommendation of federal, state and local experts that make up the state’s Drought Steering Committee. Residents and businesses are encouraged to conserve water. Governor (Providence, R.I.), Aug 9, 2022

The Connecticut River Valley and Southeast Regions joined the Northeast and Central Regions at a Level 3-Critical Drought. The Cape Cod Region moved to a Level 2-Significant Drought from Level 1, and the Islands and Western Regions will remain at a Level 1-Mild Drought. Level-3 Critical Drought and a Level 2-Significant Drought calls for the convening of an inter-agency Mission Group, which has already begun to meet to more closely coordinate on drought assessments, impacts, and response within the government. Additionally, a Level 1-Mild Drought recommends detailed monitoring of drought conditions, close coordination among state and federal agencies, and technical outreach and assistance to the affected municipalities. Mass.gov (Boston), Aug 9, 2022 With the majority of the state currently experiencing elevated temperatures and forecasts predicting little to no meaningful precipitation, Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Beth Card today declared a Level 3-Critical Drought in the Northeast and Central Regions of the state. The entire state was in some level of drought. WBUR-FM Boston Public Radio (Mass.), July 22, 2022 The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs’ drought update on July 13 indicated that drought conditions were expanding, putting the Connecticut River Valley Region, Central Region, Northeast Region and Southeast Region in Level 2 – Significant Drought, while the Western Region and Islands Region were in Level 1 – Mild Drought. Only the Cape Cod Region was free of drought. Last month, just the Central and Connecticut River Valley regions were in a mild drought. Fire danger has risen in the northern part of the state, and foliage in shrubs and grasses was stressed by the lack of rain. The public is urged to conserve water and to follow local water restrictions. Some farmers were irrigating heavily due to the dryness. Boston Herald (Mass.), July 13, 2022 The Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs updated the drought status for parts of the state in mid-June, declaring a significant drought for the North Shore, MetroWest, Boston and the South Shore. WCVB-TV ABC 5 Boston (Mass.), June 30, 2022. Massachusetts residents in the Southeast and Islands regions were urged to conserve water since a mild drought was declared on May 11. Rainfall has been irregular in the past several months, leading to below average precipitation. Residents are advised to reduce total water use, limit outdoor watering to one day a week between 5 p.m. to 9 a.m., carry out water audits on larger buildings and collect rainwater for outdoor watering. MassLive (Springfield, Mass.), May 11, 2022

Drought expanded in Nebraska, and the southwest part of the state saw the return of exceptional drought for the first time since 2013. The worsening conditions have hurt crops as drought and heat have reduced Nebraska's corn and soybean yields, per DTN, who estimates the average yield for corn to be 158 bushels per acre and 52.5 bpa for soybeans. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's five-year average for corn is nearly 186 bpa and for soybeans is 59 bpa. Lincoln Journal Star (Neb.), Aug 11, 2022

Much of the corn west of Sioux Falls dried up. One farmer was hoping to get 10 to 20 bushels in some areas, and expected that overall that he'd get from zero to more than 100 bushels in some places. Cattle producers kept the livestock off of pastures until near the end of June and fed them hay and silage to allow pasture grass to grow. Alfalfa has not grown well and only yielded 4 bales on a second cutting of 35 acres, when he usually gets more than 100 bales. KELOLAND (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Aug. 10, 2022

New Jersey is under a statewide drought watch as drought and heat strain water supplies. Water conservation is urged. Stream flow and ground water levels were below normal for most of the state, and some reservoirs were dropping quickly. Hudson Reporter (Bayonne, N.J.), Aug 9, 2022

Rhode Island apples were smaller than usual as drought stressed the trees, some of which drooped. Some of the leaves turned yellow. The orchard owner spent his time watering the trees for fear that they might die without enough water. The Providence Journal (Rhode Island), Aug. 5, 2022

Extreme heat and drought have led to very low flows in parts of the Frio, Pedernales, Guadalupe, and Nueces rivers. The San Marcos and Comal rivers were still flowing, but were significantly lower than they ought to be. Jacob’s Well stopped flowing. Many of Texas’ popular rivers for tubing were lower and slower than usual. The Frio River fell to 0 cubic feet per second on June 22, where it has remained, although rain revived it temporarily. The Nueces flows at 10 cfs, and the Guadalupe flows at 6 cfs. The San Marcos and Comal rivers were flowing at about 93 and 50 cfs, respectively, which is considerably below historical flows. Texas Highways (Austin), July 29, 2022

Landscaping in North Texas has taken a beating, after two harsh winters and the drought. A horticulturalist and well-known gardening expert has noticed that many commercial and home landscapes were not being watered and cared for well amid this summer’s intense heat and drought. "Millions of dollars have been lost by commercial landscapes and home landscapes that have not been tended," stated the horticulturalist. WFAA (Dallas, Texas), Aug 2, 2022

The mayor of Plano urged residents to limit their water use through September 15. The Dallas Morning News (Texas), Aug 4, 2022

Residents of Grand Prairie are asked to conserve water and were warned that stricter water restrictions were on the way without substantial rain. The Dallas Morning News (Texas), Aug 4, 2022

The North Texas Municipal Water District continues to ask for reduced outdoor water use even though the maintenance work is done at the Wylie Treatment Plant Complex. The NTMWD hit a system record on July 12 when the district pumped 628 million gallons of water in 24 hours exceeding the maximum of 603 million gallons pumped in 2011. North Texas e-News (Fannin, Texas), July 20, 2022 The North Texas Municipal Water District asked on July 16 that all municipalities that receive their water would immediately reduce water use, particularly outdoor water use, while maintenance was performed on a treatment plant to improve its treatment capacity. The NTMWD provides water to most of Collin County, Rockwall County and Kaufman County, parts of North Dallas County, a significant portion of Hunt County and parts of Denton, Grayson, Rains, Hopkins and Van Zandt counties. The City of Plano issued a notice to residents, requesting water conservation at least through Wednesday, July 20. WFAA (Dallas, Texas), July 17, 2022

Portola Redwoods State Park will close its campground facilities with 55 sites on Aug. 5 through the remainder of the season due to low flows in its main water supply, Peters Creek. Park operations rely on the water for restrooms, showers, drinking water and fire suppression. Drought forced similar closures in 2014, 2015, and 2021. SFGate (San Francisco, Calif.), July 26, 2022

Colorado Parks and Wildlife dropped the angler limits at the Jumbo Reservoir near Julesburg and the Queens Reservoir north of Lamar. The agency expects both reservoirs to soon run dry and lose all fish. The loss of the fish will harm local businesses near the reservoir that depend on anglers and may not see many of them for a few years as Colorado Parks and Wildlife rebuilds the fisheries. The Colorado Sun (Denver), July 29, 2022

Governor Kathy Hochul on July 29 directed the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to issue a drought watch for 21 New York counties after consulting with the State Drought Management Task Force and federal partner agencies. New York State is encouraging residents in affected counties, particularly those dependent on private groundwater wells, to conserve water whenever possible during the coming weeks. New York State Governor (Albany), July 29, 2022

More than 100 towns in Massachusetts currently have mandatory restrictions on outdoor water use, according to data from the state Department of Environmental Protection. Many of the restrictions took effect in the spring or when summer began. The Boston Globe (Mass.), July 27, 2022

The Suffolk County Water Authority was getting ready to expand its water emergency for the three East End towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Southold as lawn watering depletes water tanks overnight, which may not leave adequate supplies for essential services like firefighting. Conditions are most dire in Southampton Village, where one critical water tank has nearly gone dry overnight when many homeowners have their irrigation systems running. Newsday (Melville, N.Y.), Aug 1, 2022

Extreme heat and drought were leading Vineland water customers to use more water than can be produced. Water restrictions took effect to offset low water pressure, supply issues and public safety concerns. Vineland Daily Journal & Hammonton News (N.J.), July 29, 2022

An ill-advised attempt to burn a spider in the foothills of the Wasatch Mountains in Utah County turned into a fire that charred more than 60 acres from the base to the top of the mountain. Heavy rain helped bring the fire under control. Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah), Aug 2, 2022

Falling water levels and rising temperatures on the Big Hole River prompted the Big Hole Watershed Committee to warn both irrigators along the river and anglers to prepare for water use conservation measures and to adjust their angling habits. Montana Standard (Butte), Aug 3, 2022