Drought

Idaho farmers growing irrigated barley still expect yield reduction of 10% to 20%, while dryland growers were expecting losses of 50%. Extreme heat reduced grain fill and increased protein. Capital Press (Salem, Ore.), Aug 3, 2021 Barley yields and total production will be lower in Idaho, compared with 2020, due to drought and early heat. The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service forecasts the harvest to have an average yield of 81 bushels per acre, for total barley production of 37.3 million bushels. The Idaho Barley Commission puts the harvest at 39 to 46 million bushels with an average yield of 85 to 95 bpa. Roughly 80% of the state’s barley is produced with irrigation and most farmers have enough water to finish the crop. Quality and yield are expected to be affect by the heat. Post Register (Idaho Falls, Idaho), July 27, 2021

Utah’s lakes have become very low and warm, allowing harmful algal blooms to increase, which typically occurs later in the summer. KSL-TV NBC 5 (Salt Lake City, Utah), July 25, 2021

Dry wells were a crisis in southern Oregon with at least 117 dry wells documented, but the true number may exceed 300. Well drillers were overwhelmed with demand and have a waiting list of six months or more for service. In the meantime, people were depending on neighbors or hauling water to get by until they have a functioning well again. The state arranged for a water truck to deliver water and was trying to get more than 350 emergency storage tanks sent from as far away as Oklahoma and elsewhere. This is the same Klamath River area where farmers were denied irrigation water. Associated Press News (New York), July 29, 2021

Some shallow wells in Minnesota were running dry. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources was getting more calls about domestic wells and complaints of well interference from the northwestern part of the state. The agency has received 27 low water or out-of-water calls so far in 2021, compared to eight in 2020. Minnesota Public Radio News (St. Paul, Minn.), July 26, 2021

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources said that the state drought plan has reached a certain stage that authorizes mandatory actions, including water restrictions. About 550 cities, including Minneapolis and St. Paul and most of the western part of the state, have restrictions on water use with the possibility of adding more cities. Water scarcity is an issue in parts of the state, like the Crookston area in northwest Minnesota. Well drillers were busy servicing existing wells and drilling more wells. KSTP-TV ABC 5 Minneapolis/St. Paul (Minn.), July 27, 2021

A water emergency was declared for Polson as the town dealt with very high demand and low supply. Water to 60 homes was shut off on July 26 after water restrictions that banned lawn watering and car washing did not allow the community’s critically low reserve tanks to refill. Polson gets its water from an aquifer. Of the 800,000 gallons produced per day, only 550,000 gallons return to the wastewater treatment plant, meaning that they were losing about 250,000 gallons, much of it presumably to lawn watering. Mandatory water restrictions were enacted in Helena earlier in July, while Bozeman and Billings more recently adopted restrictions. KUFM-FM Montana Public Radio (Missoula), July 26, 2021

Many small towns in northern California were facing water shortages with more than 130,000 people affected. Some towns have reported that they were in danger of running out or were dealing with extreme shortages. Water is also needed for firefighting, further stressing dwindling supplies. The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.), July 30, 2021

The rafting on the Tuolumne and American rivers looks to be fantastic for the rest of the summer, marking the best season in decades. The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission plans its flow regime and releases to maximize rafting opportunities on the Tuolumne River. Flows are arranged similarly on the American River to support rafting. Rafting should be good at least through Labor Day weekend. San Francisco Chronicle (Calif.), July 29, 2021

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources increased the fishing limits at certain lakes as drought continued to lower water levels, making the water bodies less habitable for fish. The fear was that warm waters, which hold less oxygen, might not support fish at all Utah lakes through the rest of the summer, and fish kills could occur. ABC4 (Salt Lake City, Utah), July 28, 2021

Water shortages and drought were top concerns in the minds of many Californians, according to a poll done by the Public Policy Institute of California, a non-partisan research organization in San Francisco. Other concerns were wildfires (17%), climate change (13%), and air pollution (6%). One year ago, the percentage of people most concerned about drought as the top environmental challenge was 10%. The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.), July 29, 2021

Water was being transported into Echo in Summit County because the city does not have water rights. KSL Newsradio 102.7FM (Salt Lake City, Utah), July 12, 2021

A dust storm on July 25 caused low visibility on I-15 in Millard County in central Utah, causing a crash that involved at least 20 vehicles. Eight people died, and at least ten others were injured. The area is in exceptional drought. Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah), July 26, 2021

Folsom Lake has become so low that ruins of Gold Rush towns were again visible. Remnants of Salmon Falls, Red Banks and Mormon Island were on dry land, revealing more artifacts by the day as the water continued to recede. Los Angeles Times (Calif.), July 27, 2021

As the water level of Great Salt Lake falls, the springs on Antelope Island were slowing and one spring went dry. To make sure bighorn sheep on the island have enough water, wildlife biologists will fly in water for the sheep. The island’s other inhabitants, bison and pronghorn antelope, saw their drinking water and forage reduced too. Drought reduced the survival of antelope fawn this year. Daily Herald (Provo, Utah), July 28, 2021

Heat and drought were stressing cockroaches, leading to more infestations in South Placer County towns to Sacramento. Those in the pest control industry saw this trend begin months ago with new clients needing help with the insects. Urban areas seem to be harder hit than rural locales. One Granite Bay resident noted that his backyard appeared as if it were moving at night from all of the “creepy crawlies.” The Sacramento Bee (Calif.), July 26, 2021

Extreme drought in northern Minnesota was creating the most dangerous fire season in decades as more than 1,500 fires blackened more than 34,000 acres since March. Burning restrictions were in effect for the eastern portion of Roseau County and all of Beltrami, Cass, Cook, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Lake, Morrison, St. Louis, Todd and Wadena counties. Starting at midnight Tuesday, Aitkin, Becker, Benton, Carlton, Clearwater, Mahnomen and Stearns counties will be under burning restrictions as well. WCCO-TV CBS 4 (Minneapolis, Minn.), July 26, 2021

Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota waived trucking regulations for livestock producers hauling hay and other forage. Drought reduced the state’s harvestable hay by about 10,000 acres, leaving many farmers and ranchers bringing in hay and other forage from greater distances. KNOX-AM (Grand Forks, N.D.), July 29, 2021

Drought hurt spring wheat production potential in parts of North Dakota, according to day one of the Wheat Quality Council’s annual tour. In southern and east-central parts of the state, the average yield was 29.5 bushels per acre in 100 field stops on July 27, compared to 45.6 bpa in 2019. The tour was canceled in 2020, due to the pandemic. Agriculture.com (Des Moines, Iowa), July 27, 2021

Flowers in northwest Colorado do not have enough moisture to produce the pollen and nectar that bees need to produce honey, which may leave the bees with insufficient honey to make it through the winter. The hives are not producing drones for some reason. Beekeepers were expecting to lose bees over the winter. Steamboat Pilot & Today (Colo.), July 23, 2021

Drought and heat dried up pastures early in southeast Washington and northeast Oregon. Hay prices are high, as drought and heat diminished production, leaving ranchers worried about feeding cattle and opting to sell livestock. Water supplies from rivers and streams were also less plentiful and dried up six weeks early. Alfalfa growth was slowed by heat. Large hay bales were selling for about $210 per ton, stated a Walla Walla Valley hay grower, up 20% compared to other years. Walla Walla Union-Bulletin (Wash.), July 27, 2021