Drought

Kiowa County crops were mostly in good condition, but some grain sorghum failed to head out, due to heat and dry weather. Kiowa County Press (Eads, Colo.), Sept 8, 2021

Lake Shasta is at its second lowest level since the dam was constructed in 1945. Boat docks are high and dry. Hydropower generation continues, as do releases for environmental and agricultural needs. The low water level also exposes interesting historical relics typically hidden beneath the water, such as train tunnels, the old Highway 99 roadbed and car bridges. Redding Record Searchlight (Calif.), Sept 28, 2021

Stage 1 drought restrictions took effect on Sept. 1 as the Edwards Aquifer water level fell to 659.8 feet. Community Impact – New Braunfels (Texas), Sept 1, 2021

The Marin Municipal Water District is seeking emergency state approval to withhold water from endangered coho salmon by reducing water releases into Lagunitas Creek this winter. Environmentalists are cognizant, however, that the district and water customers are not meeting their goal of cutting water use by 40% and still have other water-saving options available, such as banning lawn watering and pool filling. Marin Independent Journal (Calif.), Sept 2, 2021

The Marin Municipal Water District approved $2.2 million in contracts on a proposed emergency pipeline across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge. The utility is proposing to construct a $65 million pipeline from Richmond to Marin County in case the coming winter is dry. The pipeline is not a done deal, and a feasibility study should be completed by early October to provide more information on the potential project. If the board goes ahead with the pipeline, it should be ready for use in June 2022 to carry water for the district’s 191,000 residents in central and southern Marin. Marin Independent Journal (Calif.), Aug 30, 2021

The National Park Service gave boat owners who store their boats at Elk Creek Marina 10 days to remove vessels from the water due to drought. Blue Mesa was less than 38% full as water was being sent downstream to prop up Lake Powell and prolong hydropower production. While releasing the water from Blue Mesa disrupted recreation on the reservoir, it enhanced rafting and fishing downstream of Blue Mesa. Colorado Public Radio (Centennial, Colo.), Sept 3, 2021

Ukiah officials announced on Aug. 31 that they were preparing to deliver water to coastal communities such as the village of Mendocino. Ukiah Daily Journal (Calif.), Aug 31, 2021

Soil moisture conditions were very short to short in most areas. Forages were browning due to heat and lack of moisture. Pasture and rangeland conditions were declining. Ranchers were storing hay and many reported three cuttings this season. Feed prices continued to increase. Supplemental feeding was increasing as well. Stock tanks needed replenishing in some areas but were full in others. Summer conditions were good for deer and quail, but drier conditions were pushing deer to browse along roadways. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Sept 8, 2021 South Texas ranchers were providing supplemental feed to livestock and wildlife. Feed prices were rising. Stock tanks and pastures needed rain. Soil moisture was very short to short in the northern part of the district. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Aug 24, 2021

Water was turned off to various parts of Mt. Diablo, due to drought. Water springs on Mt. Diablo were at a trickle, and water storage tanks were nearly empty. The higher one is on the mountain, the less likely there is running water. Bring plenty of bottled water if you visit. KRON4 (San Francisco, Calif.), Sept 1, 2021

Runoff has been below normal at the Garrison Dam, due to drought. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers requests that all owners of boats, watercraft or docks to remove their property from the Missouri River as the releases decrease from 21,000 cubic feet per second to 13,500 cfs by mid-September. Shallow waters meant danger from hitting barely submerged objects. Devils Lake was also low. KX News (Bismarck, N.D.), Sept 2, 2021

Drought has all sorts of wildlife turning up in the East Bay area—turkeys, wild pigs, mountain lions and even bears—as the animals search for food and water. CBS San Francisco (Calif.), Sept 2, 2021

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly approved 87 of the state’s 105 counties being in warning or watch status. Fourteen counties were placed in a warning status, while 73 entered a watch status. Drought Watch: Atchison, Brown, Butler, Chase, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Comanche, Cowley, Decatur, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Edwards, Ellis, Finney, Ford, Geary, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Hamilton, Harvey, Haskell, Hodgeman, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Lane, Leavenworth, Logan, Lyon, Marion, Marshall, Meade, Morris, Morton, Nemaha, Ness, Norton, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Reno, Republic, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Saline, Scott, Sedgwick, Seward, Shawnee, Sheridan, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Sumner, Trego, Wabaunsee, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, Wyandotte. Drought Warning: Barber, Barton, Cheyenne, Ellsworth, Harper, Lincoln, McPherson, Mitchell, Osborne, Rawlins, Rice, Russell, Sherman, Thomas. KSN-TV (Wichita, Kan.), Sept 2, 2021

With the Carson River running dry, there are fewer suckerfish and minnow. Area ranchers have sold livestock as pastureland goes dry, too. Ranchers were also moving cattle off of federal grazing areas, due to poor conditions, stated an environmental scientist for the Nevada Department of Agriculture. Hay was a pricey $300 per ton, contributing to the livestock sales. Carson River flows were very low like during droughts in 1977 and 2015. Reno Gazette (Nev.), Sept 3, 2021

Drought cost a farmer near Springville thousands of dollars in revenue due to the irrigation demands of moving pipe and pumping water. The farmer’s main crop is alfalfa and the first two cuttings of four were much lighter than normal. Ranchers in central and southern Utah have to sell livestock early at a loss, according to the president of the Utah Farm Bureau. He also noted that most farmers lost irrigation water early. KSTU-FOX13 (Salt Lake City, Utah), Sept 1, 2021

Drought affected the wheat crop slightly in the Thumb of Michigan. The Farm Bureau anticipates a below average crop yield for the Thumb area and an earlier harvest due to the stress the crops have been under this season. Huron Daily Tribune (Mich.), Sept 2, 2021

Farmers across the area have taken a blow this year; a combination of the devastating drought and a sky-rocketing population of grasshoppers has caused significant losses for producers. "I believe that a majority of our farmers and ranchers are dealing with some level of damage from the grasshoppers, ranging from light damage to some pretty severe crop and/or grass loss. Of course, the damage was exacerbated by the drought so it's hard to determine exactly just how much damage was grasshoppers and how much was drought," said Tim Fine, MSU Richland County Extension Agent. This year was a superb year for grasshoppers because dry weather increases the survival of nymphs and adults, and warm autumns allow the pests more time to feed and lay eggs. Grasshopper outbreaks are usually followed by several years of hot, dry summers and warm falls; these conditions allow grasshopper populations to increase slowly. Weather is found to be the main factor affecting grasshopper population levels. Area farmers have seen a stark increase in the number of grasshoppers this growing season. Grasshoppers have plagued several areas of cropland and rangeland. Grasshopper damage to wheat cereal crops can be seen on the areas between the crop and the field boundary. Individual plants will show leaf stripping, head clipping, and kernels that have been fed on or destroyed. Grasshoppers also compete heavily with grazing livestock for forage; they feed on the desirable forage, leaving the less desirable plants behind. Their feeding, if coupled with drought conditions, is prone to causing long-term deterioration of the forage plants/rangeland. The pests can reduce the quality of rangeland in the same way as cattle overgrazing. Ranchers can help deter grasshopper damage by properly managing their range through proper stocking rates and using insecticides suitable for their operation. Cropland takes a heavy hit when grasshopper populations are dense and food plants are scarce. The pests migrate and consume almost any plant they come upon. According to http://www.ndsu.edu, row crop producers should be aware of the potential for grasshoppers to move into row crops after small grains have started to dry down. The best thing producers can do is to consider spraying to keep the populations down. Both low and high-labeled rates of all insecticides provide control of grasshoppers and prevent economic yield loss. Fine explained that getting some moisture will help tremendously and will allow crops and grasses to overcome some of the damage for the coming year. He said, "Grasshoppers seem to come and go in waves, some years we have lots of them and some years not many at all. Spring weather can greatly affect grasshopper population so there is no way to predict now what the future will hold." The Roundup (Sidney, Mont.), Sept 1, 2021

Scofield ran out of water after its well failed and its springs went dry, but the well is operating again. Echo ran out of water, so Weber Basin Water Conservancy District is trucking water to the town. Hyde Park is relying on other communities for water. More secondary water providers were ending the season weeks early. KSL-TV NBC 5 (Salt Lake City, Utah), Aug 27, 2021

The Sonoma County Water Agency recommended a minimum storage goal of 20,000 acre-feet for Lake Mendocino by Oct. 1, 2021 to provide adequate carry-over water supply at the start of the 2021-22 fall-winter rainy season, but the reservoir already dropped below the target on Aug. 26. The low water storage clearly indicates that the historic drought in the Russian River watershed was worsening. Petaluma, CA Patch (CA), Aug 28, 2021

Groundwater was dropping to historical depths in Madera County amid ongoing drought, causing subsidence. Lots of wells were running dry, and drillers were scheduled out for months as the county’s water demand far exceeds supplies and recharge. The towns of Parksdale, the Madera Ranchos and Riverstone have had well failures, and more than 200 families are using water tanks because their wells went dry. The Madera County groundwater table never recovered from the previous drought, and over the past decade, more than 80,000 acres of permanent crops, like almonds and pistachios, were planted, creating a continuous demand because those trees cannot be fallowed. The Fresno Bee (Calif.), Aug 29, 2021

Steelhead fishing was closed in the lower Umatilla and areas of the Deschutes and John Day rivers starting Sept. 1, due to extremely low returns of the Columbia Basin upriver summer steelhead. Passage counts of summer steelhead at Bonneville Dam from July 1 through Aug. 26 were the lowest since counts started in 1938. Returns for many populations have been low for years. Ontario Argus Observer (Ore.), Aug 31, 2021