Drought

Fort Bragg was in a Stage 3 drought emergency, requiring the savings of 20% to 30% of typical water use. A desalination plant was ordered for times when sea water pushes up the Noyo River, making it too salty to be processed by the city water treatment plant. The Mendocino Beacon (Calif.), Aug 10, 2021

Some wine grapes in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys were struggling amid the intense drought and were stressed with the backs of the leaves showing. The fruit and leaf canopies are smaller this year. One vineyard's well went dry. KPIX-TV CBS 5 San Francisco (Calif.), Aug 10, 2021

Signs around Mendocino plead with visitors to conserve water as its wells run dry. Nearby, Fort Bragg, Mendocino’s backup water supplier, is very low on water as the Noyo River barely flows. Residents and business owners were purchasing water from ever farther away to refill their tanks. Some restaurants were cutting their hours to reduce costs. Since February, the cost of water has doubled. Associated Press News (New York), Aug 10, 2021 Mendocino residents and business owners were purchasing water as the town’s groundwater wells ran low. Mendocino’s main water supplier, the City of Fort Bragg, stopped providing water for Mendocino as Fort Bragg had to guard supplies for its own citizens first. Mendocino leaders have entertained a number of possible methods of bringing potable water into town—barge, railway or even by wine tankers. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat (Calif.), July 22, 2021

Ute Water Conservancy District on July 1 began charging a 2% drought pumping rate to cover the cost of drawing directly from the Colorado River. Ute Water pumped from the Colorado River from June 10 through July 7. The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, Colo.) Aug 11, 2021 The Ute Water Conservancy District tapped the Colorado River to avoid running its backup reservoirs dry as the region was in extreme to exceptional drought. The Ute district relies on water from the Grand Mesa reservoir and hasn’t needed to draw from the Colorado River in more than five decades. The UWCD serves Grand Junction and Mesa County and is the largest water provider between Denver and Salt Lake City. Water customers of the UWCD will be billed a 2% surcharge to cover the cost of electric power and increased water treatment costs. The district has junior water rights and expects to be cut off later this summer. The Colorado Sun (Denver), July 2, 2021

Water deliveries will end one month early on Oct. 1 after the Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District board voted on Aug. 20 for the early end. The persistent drought and large water debt to southern New Mexico and Texas were the reasons given for conserving water. “We understand this could potentially cause people to lose their farms,” said a board member. “We’re not taking it lightly.” Albuquerque Journal (N.M.), Aug 22, 2021

As drought persists and farmers are desperate to find water, a Sonoma County dowser was scheduled for three to four weeks in advance and was working Saturdays, too. KPIX-TV CBS 5 San Francisco (Calif.), Aug 9, 2021

About 50 boat owners were warned that they needed to remove their vessels from Summersville Lake by Aug. 8 to avoid being beached as the water level was about one foot below normal. The low water was due to the absence of rain and the requirement to release water from the dam downriver, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. Boat owners were frustrated. WSAZ-TV NBC 3 (Huntington, W.V.), Aug 6, 2021

River conditions in parts of Minnesota were termed “scrapable” indicating that boats would likely scrape the bottom. Some reservoirs were nearing the lows reached during drought in 1988. About half of the state’s lakes were below normal summer levels, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. CBS Minnesota (Minneapolis), Aug 12, 2021

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries announced a Voluntary Drought Initiative to protect populations of salmon, steelhead and sturgeon from drought. Sierra Sun Times (Mariposa, Calif.), Aug 12, 2021

Mosquito counts in the Minneapolis area were four to eight times lower than a normal year and well below the 10-year average. Despite the drastic reduction in mosquitoes, some still tested positive for the West Nile virus. KARE-TV NBC 11 (Minneapolis, Minn.), Aug 7, 2021

The largest horse roundup to take place in Colorado ended with 303 horses being removed from Bureau of Land Management land, in addition to state-owned and private properties, over a nine-day period ending Aug. 4. Steamboat Pilot & Today (Colo.), Aug 10, 2021

Lake Mendocino dropped to its second lowest level since the reservoir was built with the rainy season months away yet. The lake held a little over 24,000 acre-feet of water, but has only dropped below 25,000 acre-feet three times. State and local water managers have been reducing withdrawals from the Russian River to slow releases from Lake Mendocino in an effort to make sure that the level does not fall below 20,000 acre feet before Oct. 1, in case next winter is dry. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat (Calif.), Aug 5, 2021

Oregon ranchers were selling stock earlier, due to the hot, dry weather and dry rangeland. Cattle sales in Vale were two to three times bigger than usual, according to the branch manager. Hay is expensive. One rancher moved feeder cattle off the range two months earlier than normal. He was also weaning earlier. Irrigation water in Arock ended one month ago, while in Jordan Valley, the irrigation water was turned off in May. Malheur Enterprise (Vale, Ore.), Aug 18, 2021

Drought is depleting rivers and reservoirs used for hydropower production in California and elsewhere, causing the largest disruptions to hydropower generation in decades and sometimes forcing a return to dirty fossil fuels for immediate power. Power generation at Lake Shasta was about 30% less than usual this summer, according to a team leader for the Bureau of Reclamation's operations. The dam usually generates about 710 MW during the summer, but in July was making only 500 MW. Reuters (New York), Aug 13, 2021

In coming weeks, with power supplies being tight in California, fossil fuels will be used as needed to keep the state powered to avoid rolling blackouts. The Golden State could have a shortfall of up to 3,500 megawatts during peak demand hours in the next few weeks if heatwaves continue to affect the region. Gov. Gavin Newsom approved industrial energy users to operate on diesel generators and engines. Reuters (New York), Aug 11, 2021

A livestock producer in Kittson County was hauling about 1,000 gallons of water daily because his ponds were dry. His well stopped producing, so he wanted a new well drilled, but drillers were booked for the next one to two years, the demand for their services was so high, due to drought and people moving from the city to the country. Supply chain disruptions from COVID-19 and a worker shortage were also contributing to the problem. Minnesota Public Radio (St. Paul, Minn.), Aug 12, 2021

Central Minnesota farmers were baling dryland corn for livestock feed as hay production was 30% to 50% of normal. Nitrate levels were surprisingly low. The right equipment and technique matter when baling corn. Agweek (Fargo, N.D.), Aug 11, 2021

Drought and heat reduced Washington's huckleberries to small, tart berries this year. Spokane Spokesman-Review (Wash.), Aug. 6, 2021

Many livestock owners in Wyoming did not get adequate forage growth for cattle, and heat and drought has dried it up. Ranchers have opted to sell livestock or ship them earlier than usual to cope with drought. Feed is in short supply, and hay is expensive. Wyoming Public Radio (Laramie), Aug 10, 2021

The level of Lake Mead was 1,067 feet on July 13. Hoover Dam’s hydropower efficiency has fallen about 25%, due to the historically low water level. Lake Mead has an increased likelihood of falling to 1,025 and 1,000 feet by 2025, with the Bureau of Reclamation estimating the chances at 58% and 21%. KTNV-TV Las Vegas Channel 13 (Nev.), July 14, 2021 Lake Mead dipped to its lowest level since the 1930s on June 16 at 1070.6 feet above sea level and was about 143 feet lower than its level in 2000 when it was last full. Each day brings new record lows. The lower water levels also mean reduced hydropower production at Hoover Dam. Capacity in recent weeks was 1,500 megawatts, or 25% lower than in better days when the dam produced 2,000 megawatts. CNN US (Atlanta, Ga.), June 17, 2021 Lake Mead fell below 1,071.61 feet above sea level on June 9, hitting the lowest level since the construction of the Hoover Dam in the 1930s. The lake’s rapid drop exceeded projections from even a few months ago, and the decline is expected to continue through 2021 and into 2023. A water shortage declaration is expected from the federal government in August, which will lead to large cuts in water allocations for Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico in 2022. USA Today (McLean, Va.), June 10, 2021