Drought

A third year of drought means less water for Northern California and less water for rice acreage. Rice growers along the Sacramento and Feather rivers will have to leave fields idle, according to a rice farming systems adviser and director at the University of California Butte County Cooperative Extension. In Butte County, about 60% to 80% of rice acres will be planted as usual, but in Glenn and Colusa counties, just about 10% of rice will be planted, he said. Reduced water supplies in 2021 meant that there were fewer acres of rice planted last year, too. Irrigation districts along the Feather River hold a 50% entitlement minimum according to a 1969 water diversion agreement, which Lake Oroville can provide, so 60% to 70% of rice should be planted along the Feather River. Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District manager stated that farmers in his district will likely plant only 2,000 acres of a total 100,000 acres of rice normally planted for just 2% of normal. While the irrigation district has a 75% water entitlement agreement, Lake Shasta does not hold enough water to fulfill the agreement. The district will get just 18% of their water rights. The sharp reduction in water supplies has forced some rice growers to let their employees go, increasing unemployment in the area. There will also be fewer people employed processing rice. Chico Enterprise-Record (Calif.), May 28, 2022 California’s rice acreage is expected to fall to its lowest level since 1984, according to the Department of Agriculture. It is predicted that 348,000 acres of rice will be planted this year, down from 407,000 acres in 2021. KERO-TV ABC 23 Bakersfield-Turn to 23 (Calif.), May 11, 2022

Waist-deep mud along the shoreline of Lake Mead is causing problems for visitors as they or their vehicles get stuck. Lake Mead is at just 35% of capacity. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.), May 25, 2022

Early cotton acre establishment is doubtful in western Oklahoma, and the winter wheat crop is devastated, according to the Jackson County director and southwest regional agronomist for Oklahoma State University Extension. About half of the wheat fields in the Jackson County area have been abandoned or had cattle turned out on them. OSU Extension experts predict a nearly 50% decrease in wheat yields in western Oklahoma. Abandonment for winter wheat in the U.S. is the highest since 2002 with the highest levels in Texas and Oklahoma, according to USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service reports. A dryland wheat grower in Cimarron County said that his thousands of acres of wheat were zeroed out by an insurance appraiser at the start of April. With no soil moisture, it is likely that he will not plant a spring sorghum crop. Oklahoma State University (Stillwater, Okla.), May 23, 2022

Fire restrictions took effect for all Bureau of Land Management public lands throughout Washington and Oregon on May 27. The use of fireworks exploding targets or metallic targets, steel component ammunition, tracer devices, incendiary devices, and sky lanterns were prohibited. KTVZ-TV NewsChannel 21 (Bend, Ore.), May 23, 2022

Lubbock-area cotton growers are conflicted about whether to plant. The rain that fell in the past week was insufficient to get a dryland crop started, but would be enough with irrigation. “This rain has actually made decision-making quite a bit harder,” the cotton producer said. He fears that the rain may not continue, and the area has such a large rain deficit already. The insurance plant deadline is June 5. KCBD (Lubbock, Texas), May 26, 2022

The Burlington Select Board reaffirmed the town's even/odd watering schedule for sprinkler systems on residential and commercial properties. The Select Board also approved a request to end the emergency water ban and the return to the even/odd watering schedule. A 'Step 1' drought restriction remained in effect, prohibiting the use of sprinkler systems between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. The drought restriction originally took effect in 2021. HomeNewsHere.com (Burlington, Mass.), May 26, 2022

Lake Mead will likely drop 12 feet by September to 1,037 feet above sea level, per an updated forecast from U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. In Sept 2023, Lake Mead may be 26 feet lower than at present, with the reservoir holding just 19% of capacity and leading to the harshest water supply cuts for the Southwest. Lake Mead is presently running considerably below what was thought to be the worst-case scenario last year. Mead was expected to be about 1,059 feet at the end of May, and as low as 1,057 feet at the worst. Lake Mead is currently about 1,049 feet. The winter snow was a huge disappointment and did not bring as much moisture as was needed. In addition, water was being held back in Lake Powell to support its water level instead of being sent to Lake Mead. Given the warm, dry spring, water needs for agriculture have been higher than normal. CNN (Atlanta, Ga.), May 26, 2022

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources warned people boating in western Iowa over the Memorial Day weekend to be advised that water levels are low as the region is in severe drought. Some of the affected waterways are Carter Lake, Blue Lake, DeSoto Bend, Snyder Bend and Browns Lake. KCCI 8 Des Moines (Iowa), May 26, 2022

Dry and windy weather in April and May has left farmers in northeast Colorado longing for moisture for crop planting. The New Cache La Poudre Irrigating Company, serving farmers northeast of Greeley, has just 45% of the water needed to fulfill orders and is still in need of more water. New Cache’s water comes from the Colorado-Big Thompson project, or CB-T, which is jointly operated by Reclamation and Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District. Northern Colorado, serving water needs in Boulder, Broomfield, Larimer, Logan, Morgan, Sedgwick, Washington and Weld counties, set their allocation at 70%, but increased it to 80% to help northeast Colorado farmers. The hope is that the New Cache Irrigating Company will be able to lease some additional CB-T water this year. Larimer & Weld Irrigation is also looking for more water. The Colorado Sun (Denver), May 26, 2022

New Mexico cattle ranchers are trying to find food for their cattle since the Hermits Peak Calf Canyon Fire has resulted in the closure of the Carson National Forest where the cattle typically graze in the summer. Without the grazing space, a cattle owner sold half of his herd, losing tens of thousands of dollars. Arranging to lease pasture can be very costly, but the alternative is to feed hay meant to be fed next winter. Forest allotments were not producing much forage due to drought in Arizona and New Mexico, so some ranchers cannot graze as many cattle as usual. KRQE (Albuquerque, N.M.), May 24, 2022

The Washington Department of Ecology extended the drought emergency declaration for watersheds in eight eastern Washington counties that was originally made in 2021. The declaration affects five watersheds covering parts of Spokane, Lincoln, Grant, Adams, Whitman, Stevens, Okanogan and Pend Oreille counties. The remaining counties east of the Cascade Range were put in “drought advisory” status. Counties west of the Cascades were no longer in drought conditions. Associated Press News (New York), May 26, 2022 Washington’s Cascade Mountains could use more snow to boost the water supply after the dry January and February 2022. The drought declaration made by the Department of Ecology in 2021 remained in effect. KGMI-AM (Bellingham, Wash.), March 2, 2022 Washington Gov. Jay Inslee declared a statewide drought emergency due to hot, dry weather. A drought emergency declaration is issued when the water supply is projected to be below 75% of average, and poses a risk of undue hardship to water users and uses. The declaration allows expedited emergency water right permitting and allows the state to aid state agriculture, protect public water supplies and increase stream flows to protect fish. Associated Press News (New York), July 14, 2021

The Bannock County Board of Commissioners on May 19 declared a drought emergency in the county. Many reservoirs in southern Idaho are not expected to fill due to below normal snowpack in the Snake River Basin, low water storage and the cumulative snow water equivalent levels. Idaho State Journal (Pocatello, Idaho), May 24, 2022

Feedlot inventories were at a record high on April 1 and remained there on May 1 at 11.967 million head, a record for the month, and 2% higher than May 2021. April feedlot placements, totaling 1.809 million head or down 1% from April 2021, when analysts expected April placements to be nearer to 3% lower than last year. The most significant factor in the feedlot placements is thought to be drought in the Southern Plains. Beef Magazine (St. Charles, Ill.), May 25, 2022

The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors approved a water well permitting urgency ordinance on May 24 that expands the review process, in response to a drought-related state executive order. The Board of Supervisors declared a local emergency due to the drought in July 2021. In March 2022, Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an executive order adding steps to local water well permitting review. Noozhawk (Santa Barbara, Calif.), May 24, 2022

The local drought emergency was extended in Colusa County. County officials continued to monitor dry wells in the county, and residents with dry wells are asked to report it to the Office of Emergency Services. Limited assistance can be provided through the Colusa County Household Emergency Water Tank program. Marysville Appeal-Democrat (Calif.), May 24, 2022

More than 400,000 acres in Texas have been consumed by fire since the start of the year—more than seven times as many acres as the same time last year, but still less than in 2011. Of Texas’ 254 counties, 131 have burn bans. The Texas Tribune (Austin), May 25, 2022

Texas is struggling with drought and wildfires, crop failures and limited water supplies as average rainfall was less than 10 inches since September, according to the state climatologist. More than 400,000 acres have been consumed by fire since the start of the year—more than seven times as many acres as the same time last year, but still less than in 2011. Of Texas’ 254 counties, 131 have burn bans. At least 15 water utilities, mostly in the Hill Country, have issued mandatory water use restrictions, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Some reservoirs in the western half of the state are stressed. Statewide, reservoirs were 79% full as of May 20, down from the typical storage of 85% for this time of year. Groundwater is beginning to decline also. The Edwards Aquifer, providing water in the San Antonio area, is nearly 20 feet below normal levels. Soil moisture is so low in much of the state that crops have failed or will be much smaller than usual, despite recent rain. More than 200 Texas counties have already received crop disaster designations. At least 40% of the Panhandle wheat crop will likely fail, stated a regional agronomist for Texas A&M AgriLife in Amarillo. The Texas Tribune (Austin), May 25, 2022

Green up in Montana to Colorado and Nebraska was muted due to dry conditions with little forage growth seen in many areas. Rain is needed to keep these rangelands green. Conditions this May are the worst in at least 35 years. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, this is the highest Drought Severity and Coverage Index value at 183 out of 500, for the highest DSCI value in mid-May dating back to 2000. The USDA ranked pasture and range conditions starting in May as having the highest percentage of poor to very poor conditions since 1995. As of May 1, hay stocks were: • 15.1 percent below the 2012-2021 average for the country • Down 21.7 percent from the ten-year average in the 17 western states • For the ten western states, down more than 30 percent from the ten-year average Hay prices are forecast to hit record levels in 2022, and alfalfa prices will also be high. With pasture and rangeland in poor condition, and hay being expensive, rates of beef cow slaughter were exceptionally high at 4.2% of the Jan. 1, 2022 beef cow herd total, which was above the average culling percentage of the first four months of the year of 3.0% from 1986 through 2021. Drovers Cattle Network (Lenexa, Kan.), May 23, 2022

Several years of drought in Utah have reduced big game populations across most of the state. The Division of Wildlife Resources evaluated the health of deer populations and recommended issuing a total of 73,075 general-season deer hunting permits, 950 permits fewer than the previous year. Cache Valley Daily (Logan, Utah), May 25, 2022 Drought in Utah reduced the deer population to about 305,700, based on December assessments, which is about 9,150 less than the previous year and almost 100,000 below the division’s deer population goal. Consequently, the division would like to reduce the number of permits by 950 general season buck permits, 300 antlerless deer permits, and 50 limited-entry deer permits. This is the fourth consecutive year that the division hopes to decrease the number of general season buck permits. The division plan would add about 2,200 general permits in its northern Utah region and 150 permits in southeastern Utah, where populations are faring better. It would reduce 2,750 permits in its southern region, 450 permits in central Utah, and 100 permits in northeastern Utah, where populations are faring worse. Elk populations haven't been as affected by the drought as deer. KSL.com (Salt Lake City, Utah), March 24, 2022

California's State Water Resources Control Board voted to enact a statewide ban on watering decorative turf at commercial, industrial and institutional properties. The board also voted to require local water agencies to activate Level 2 of their local contingency plans to in preparation for a shortage of up to 20%. Los Angeles Times, May 24, 2022