Drought

Water demand has been high in Hot Springs where rainfall has been less than three-tenths of an inch in the past five weeks. Water production on July 1 peaked at 18.8 million gallons, the highest production day of 2022, a record that has been exceeded eight times in the 11-day period that ended July 10. The Hot Springs Utilities director stated that the capacity of the two treatment plants is about 22 million gallons daily, but if pushed hard, could produce 23 million gallons. The Sentinel-Record (Hot Springs, Ark.), July 20, 2022

Fire restrictions took effect for some federal and state lands in western Nevada. It was forbidden to build, maintain, attend, or use a fire, campfire or stove fire. Some other prohibited activities included smoking, welding, and using explosives, fireworks and tracer rounds. Some of the affected state and federal lands were in Churchill, Lyon, Storey, and Washoe counties. KOLO 8 News (Reno, Nev.), June 29, 2022

New fire restrictions took effect in several Utah counties, prohibiting campfires and open fires, fireworks and other potential dangerous activities. Such restrictions apply on all unincorporated county, state and federally administered public lands in Juab, Millard, Wayne, Piute, Sevier, Sanpete, Box Elder, Weber, Cache, Rich, Morgan, Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah, Washington, Kane, Garfield, Iron and Beaver counties. Daily Herald (Provo, Utah), July 18, 2022

Heat and drought were reducing hay production in Oklahoma, causing prices to rise. Pastures are crisp, so livestock were being fed hay. KHTT-FM (Muskogee, Okla.), July 19, 2022

Dry conditions persisted in Utah, despite some welcome moisture from monsoon rainfall, leading authorities to opt for restrictions. Color Country, Central Utah and Northern Utah Interagency fire managers enacted new fire restrictions throughout almost all unincorporated county, state and federally managed land across 20 of the state's 29 counties. The restrictions, which took effect on July 18, prohibit all campfires and open fires outside of agency-approved and -maintained campgrounds and home sites. The restrictions also apply to land administered by the Bureau of Land Management in Wasatch and Summit counties. The exceptions are Uinta-Wasatch-Cache and Manti La-Sal national forests. KSL.com (Salt Lake City, Utah), July 19, 2022

Residents of Dallas were asked to conserve water during the heat wave and due to the lack of measurable rain. The dry spell increased demand on the water system as daily consumption rose to more than 600 million gallons per day, compared to the average consumption of about 380 million gallons daily. The number of water main breaks has also nearly tripled to 17 over the past weekend, compared to a normal of no more than six during such a period. WFAA (Dallas, Texas), July 15, 2022

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson is seeking a drought disaster declaration for the entire state. He mentions the U.S. Drought Monitor’s July 14 release and the expected above average temperatures and little chance of precipitation over the next eight to 14 days. Farmers were not seeing the hay growth that they need for their livestock. Row crops needed irrigation, adding to farmers’ costs and stressing irrigation equipment. The fire danger was also high with 53 of the state’s 75 counties enacting burn bans. A military exercise sparked a wildfire that burned 20 acres in Sebastian County. KFSM-TV CBS 5 Fort Smith (Ark.), July 18, 2022

Temperatures over 100° F plus drought have parched pastures and meadows, forcing Arkansas cattle producers to sell some cattle and even entire herds. Some parts of Arkansas have not had substantial rain since the start of June with the driest areas in the north and southwest of the state. In Crawford County in the northwest part of Arkansas, hay growers were making a second cutting, but it was small. A Faulkner County hayfield being used for an integrated pest management demonstration last year produced 242 round bales in its first cutting, but only 151 bales this year. No one will sell hay—it cannot be purchased at present. No one is feeding hay yet. Lots of cattle are being sold in Faulkner County. Magnolia Reporter (Ark.), July 16, 2022

Drought stress is apparent in Midwestern corn as the leaves roll. An agronomist has noticed this symptom in far northwest Iowa, much of Nebraska, and central parts of Minnesota, Illinois, and Indiana. Brownfield Online (Jefferson City, Mo.), July 14, 2022

Gardeners and nursery workers in western Pennsylvania were watering heavily in the hot, dry weather. A Hempfield nursery stopped tree installations and expects to lose some nursery stock due to the persistent heat and dryness. The growth of soybeans was stunted, according to a Penn State Extension agronomist in Butler County. He noted that it was too early to tell how sweet corn was affected. People are praying for rain. With the need for extra watering, a nursery has one employee assigned to water all day at a garden center in Allegheny Township. Some wells at commercial farms to run low, but the issue was not widespread. Cucumbers were not filling out properly, and summer squash were curved. TribLIVE (Pittsburgh, Pa.), July 15, 2022

The emergency burn closure in Alaska that took effect on July 2 ended as recent rains moderated the fire activity and temporarily eased dryness. Through July 13, there were 264 active fires in Alaska with 17 individual fires and six complexes staffed with 1,336 personnel. Alaska Wildland Fire Information, July 14, 2022

Landscaping crews in Merrimack were working fewer hours per week because unwatered lawns had gone dormant and did not require mowing. Some were working just 40 hours per week instead of 60 hours. WMUR-TV ABC 9 Manchester (N.H.), July 14, 2022

Landscaping crews in Merrimack were working fewer hours per week because unwatered lawns had gone dormant and did not require mowing. Some were working just 40 hours per week instead of 60 hours. WMUR-TV ABC 9 Manchester (N.H.), July 14, 2022

At least 51 community water systems in New Hampshire have restrictions on water use as moderate and severe drought cover the state. WMUR-TV ABC 9 Manchester (N.H.), July 14, 2022

Restrictions on outdoor water use took effect immediately for residents of Warwick. Similar odd/even water restrictions were also in effect for South Kingstown and Narragansett. WPRI.com (Providence, R.I.), July 14, 2022

Governor Ned Lamont approved a recommendation by the State of Connecticut’s Interagency Drought Working Group to declare all eight Connecticut counties as experiencing Stage 2 Drought conditions due to below normal precipitation across the state. Residents should be mindful of their water consumption and were asked to voluntarily reduce outdoor irrigation, postpone planting new lawns or vegetation, and fix any leaks. Greenwich Sentinel (Ct.), July 14, 2022

Pasture conditions were poor in the Lorena area, so hay was not growing, cattle prices were down, and hay prices were up. With just 7.5 inches of rain on a farm so far this year, the grass was not even tall enough to bale, so the rancher has had to purchase hay. He has also sold about two-thirds of his herd, which usually ranges from 15 to 20 cattle, so he did not have to feed them expensive hay through the winter. Hay prices have increased up to 60% since late April. Drought and the high cost of diesel have contributed to the uptick in hay prices. The farmer would typically be making a second hay cutting in late July, but drought has prevented the hay growth. KWTX-TV 10 News Waco (Texas), July 13, 2022

Hundreds of fish were dying in a Richmond pond, creating a strong odor in the neighborhood. The residents were angry that more was not done to save the fish. The residents stocked the pond themselves and tried to relocate the few surviving fish. KRIV-TV FOX 26 Houston (Texas), July 13, 2022

North Texas ranchers are deeply culling cattle as grass and water were in short supply amid a hot drought. Ranchers brought more than 2,600 animals to the Decatur Livestock Market, which is the most livestock sold in a single sale since the 2011 drought. Almost all of the buyers were meatpackers. Some counties were dealing with grasshoppers, and stock ponds were running low also. CBS Dallas/Fort Worth (Texas), July 11, 2022

Cattle prices at auction in Abilene were reportedly down nearly half of what they were in 2019-2020 on July 12, due to rising feed costs and the extreme drought hitting the Big Country*. Traffic was heavy with more ranchers than usual bringing animals to sell. The extreme heat has dried up pastures and water supplies, making it hard to care for livestock under those conditions, especially given the high cost of feed, hay bales, fertilizer, etc. At the Graham auction, more than 4,000 head with about 1,300 cows were sold. In Abilene, the general manager of the auction was expecting more than 2,000 head with about 700 to 800 cows. Sales at Abilene Livestock Auction were nearly 40% higher since the start of the year. The general manager said that ranchers were selling their livestock early to make as much money as possible. BigCountryHomepage.com (Abilene, Texas), July 12, 2022