Drought

The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District is offering farmers compensation for leaving land fallow. The land-idling program would leave more water in the river as New Mexico works to reduce its water debt to Texas. Associated Press News (New York), April 14, 2022

The Colorado Springs Fire Department enacted a burn restriction order for the city that took effect on April 15. Drought, dry fuel moisture levels and an increase in the occurrence of grass fires in undeveloped areas of the city were reasons for the restrictions. Recreational fires are banned, as is operating small-engine equipment without a properly installed, maintained and functioning spark arrestor. Outdoor smoking is prohibited in all city-owned parks and open spaces. Colorado Springs Gazette (Colo.), April 14, 2022

Stage 1 fire restrictions took effect in Fountain and unincorporated El Paso County on April 11. Open burning, the sale or use of fireworks, and smoking outdoors are all prohibited. There are additional restrictions in Fountain. The restrictions were introduced after a number of fires over the preceding weekend. Colorado Springs Gazette (Colo.), April 11, 2022

Since early March, about 100 pole top fires have occurred in San Antonio. The problem happens when rain has not fallen for a while and allowed dust and dirt to build up on insulators. The moisture eventually returns, allows the material to conduct electricity , which can spark a fire. Two such fires caused power outages on April 12. San Antonio Express News (Texas), April 12, 2022 Nearly 30 electrical poles in San Antonio caught fire on the morning of March 21. After some dry weather that allowed dust to build up on poles and lines, the area received some light rain, causing some arching and pole top fires that brought down lines or caused transformers to blow. Up to 14,000 customers were without power. KSAT-TV ABC 12 San Antonio (Texas), March 21, 2022

A Barton County farmer is waiting to fertilize and plant because the soil is too dry. Hardly any rain has fallen all winter. Brownfield Ag News (Jefferson City, Mo.), April 11, 2022

The 1,000+ farmers and ranchers getting water from the Klamath Reclamation Project will get about one-seventh the normal amount this year amid a historic drought. The water will begin to flow on April 15. Irrigators were shocked and angry, wondering if they could survive another year of meager water supplies. Salmon downstream will get about half of the usual amount of water if the reservoir was full. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced $15 million in relief for affected farmers and $5 million for Native American tribes as a result of its decision and warned farmers not to take water beyond what was ordered or risk further irrigation reductions and legal action. Inflow to the Upper Klamath Lake is at a record low, and water allocations could be reduced if drought conditions worsen this summer. Increased groundwater pumping since late summer 2021 has resulted in hundreds of domestic wells running dry. Associated Press News (New York), April 11, 2022

Many Nebraska state recreation areas and some wildlife management areas have temporarily banned campfires until further notice due to drought conditions and extreme fire danger. The affected state recreation and wildlife management areas include Medicine Creek, Red Willow, Swanson, Enders, Sutherland, Buffalo Bill, Lake McConaughy, Lake Ogallala, Lake Minatare, Wildcat Hills, Sherman and Victoria Springs state recreation areas and Ash Hollow State Historical Park. A temporary burn ban already is in place at Calamus state recreation area. Hunters participating in the April 9 youth shotgun opener were urged to avoid open fires for camping or cooking. Nebraskaland (Lincoln, Neb.), April 8, 2022

A wildfire in Gosper and Furnas counties was sparked when a dead tree fell onto power lines amid extremely high winds. Nearly 30,000 acres of land burned and firefighters were establishing a perimeter on the evening of April 8. The blaze damaged eight structures and 48 outbuildings. The area is in severe drought. KLKN-TV 8 Lincoln/Hastings/Kearney (Neb.), April 8, 2022

The absence of rain since October 2021 means that grass was dry in early April 2022 when it ought to be tall, lush and growing. Cattle prefer green grass. Amid drought, cattle production drops off. Cattle will eat hay, but it is not as nutritious as green grass. The lack of rain also affects the economies of small towns when farmers and ranchers are not spending as much. KRISTV NBC 6 Corpus Christi (Corpus Christi, Texas), April 6, 2022

After two dry years in northeastern Wyoming, farmers are weary, but ongoing drought and high prices for hay, feed and diesel continue to test them. Surface water supplies are scarce, and cattle grazed winter range nearly to the dirt as ranchers were reluctant to buy too much hay at exorbitant prices. It’s the same situation from Campbell County west to Johnson and Sheridan counties and into Montana. If rain does not fall to promote grass growth, producers will have to make hard decisions about what to do with their hungry livestock. A lot of Campbell County ranchers took out loans to buy hay in fall 2021. Cowboy State Daily (Lander, Wyo.), April 6, 2022

A burn ban took effect in Pottawattamie County on April 6 due to dry conditions, dead vegetation and strong winds in upcoming days. The ban will remain through planting season or until sufficient rain falls to lower the fire danger. KMA Land (Shenandoah, Iowa), April 5, 2022

The Visalia City Council authorized Stage 2 of the city’s Water Conservation Ordinance. Residents may only use sprinkler systems twice per week from March through November. Visalia Times Delta (Calif.), April 5, 2022

Three hundred three residents in Glenn County reported groundwater supply issues, and 191 reported that they had a dry well in 2021. Since the start of 2022, eight residents reported groundwater supply issues and six reported a dry well. To assist people with dry wells, the City of Orland municipal water system, partnering with the Department of Water Resources, was aiming to connect county residents. KRCR-TV ABC 7 (Redding, Calif.), March 28, 2022 Water was given away at the Orland Fire Department as wells continued to run dry and more people needed water. The deputy director for the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services stated that 75 homes were without water. KHSL CBS 12 (Chico, Calif.), July 15, 2021

The Boise River basin water supply is well below normal, prompting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to alert the public that the recreation season on Lucky Peak Reservoir may likely be shortened. The flows from Lucky Peak Dam will remain at the minimum of 220 cubic feet per second to conserve as much as possible before irrigation season, which will begin later in April. Farmers, anticipating less water, are expected to plant crops with lower water needs, according to a Bureau of Reclamation employee. There will probably be a lot less corn and beets grown this year. KTVB-TV NBC 7 (Boise, Idaho), April 6, 2022

NorthWestern Energy is limiting releases from Hebgen Dam from April 4 through April 24 to keep more water in the reservoir in preparation for low water in the Madison River Basin. Persistent drought, low soil moisture and low snowpack were the reasons for conserving water. The Billings Gazette (Mont.), April 4, 2022

Bell County Water Control and Improvement District No. 3 in Nolanville urged resident to voluntarily conserve water as the area was in drought. Killeen Daily Herald (Texas), April 1, 2022

Sonoma Valley is changing to a more arid climate, which could lead to a landscape more like that of a savanna more than a forest, according to a professor at the UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management. There is no longer enough sustained moisture to allow oaks and other large trees that burned to regrow. The rainy season starts one month later now than it did in the 1960s, per one study. Sonoma Index-Tribune (Calif.), April 6, 2022

Tough water restrictions were enacted for the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District after early spring heat melted the snowpack from 80% of normal to just 65% of normal in a matter of days in late March. Water deliveries to secondary water systems for outdoor use were cut by 60%; culinary water deliveries were trimmed by 10%; and water for agricultural use was reduced by 40%. The activation of the secondary water system will be delayed by one month. In a normal spring, 220,000 acre-feet of runoff comes down the mountains to be stored, but this year, the amount is projected to be about 10,000 acre-feet. This is the third straight year of very low amounts of less than 10%. Reservoirs will not likely fill. The district is the wholesale water supplier for Weber, Davis, Morgan, Summit and parts of Box Elder County. KSL.com (Salt Lake City, Utah), April 4, 2022 Weber Basin Water Conservancy District water customers are being warned to expect another year of drought with reduced lawn watering. The activation of their secondary water system is being delayed. Instead of turning it on in April, it will be turned on in May. KSL News Radio 102.7FM (Salt Lake City, Utah), March 8, 2022

The snowpack in southwestern Idaho was two-thirds or less of normal. If spring does not bring ample moisture, reservoirs may not refill. Some farmers have already been warned that they may receive just one-third of the usual amount of water, or about 1.2 acre-feet. They have also been told that the irrigation season will be cut short. Instead of getting water from April 15 through Oct. 15, the water may end on Aug. 1. The warning allows farmers to quickly change their crop plans to plant something that can mature and produce a crop in a shorter growing season. Some land will also be left idle. KBOI-TV (Boise, Idaho), April 5, 2022

The Bisbee Fire Department banned outdoor fires due to drought and dangerous fuel buildup in the the area around the historic town. All outdoor camping fires and trash burning are prohibited. Herald Review (Sierra Vista, Ariz.), April 5, 2022