Drought

The Santa Rosa city council voted to make voluntary conservation mandatory as Russian River wholesale water allocations were cut and Sonoma County declared a local drought emergency. Water conservation of 20% over last year’s use is the goal. Other North Bay communities with mandatory water restrictions include Petaluma, Sonoma, Rohnert Park, Healdsburg and Cloverdale. KTVU (San Francisco, Calif.), June 30, 2021

Hyde Park residents must halve their outdoor water use immediately to avoid the city water tanks running dry by July 3. The public was notified of the water crisis on June 28 and responded by reducing their water use so the water tanks began to refill at night. KSL.com (Salt Lake City), June 30, 2021

Stage three water use restrictions took effect in Helena on July 1, banning lawn watering and irrigation using treated municipal water, due to high water use. The restrictions will remain through Sept. 1. Helena Independent Record (Mont.), July 1, 2021

Restrictions on outdoor water use are recommended by the Department of Environmental Services. Seventy-four systems in 42 municipalities have restricted outdoor water use, largely in Hillsborough and Rockingham counties. New Hampshire Business Review (Concord), June 29, 2021 The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services urged water suppliers to monitor drought conditions and request that water customers conserve water. Keene Sentinel (N.H.), May 29, 2021

Utah fishing limits were raised for anglers as the hot, dry weather lowered water levels and allowed water temperatures to rise. Increased catch limits to be in effect through Oct. 31. KSL NewsRadio 102.7FM 1160AM (Salt Lake City, Utah), July 2, 2021

Anglers were urged to voluntarily stop fishing the Dolores River in southwest Colorado by noon as drought reduced the river flow to 9 cubic feet per second and allowed water temperatures to rise to around 75 degrees. The Animas, San Juan and Colorado rivers may also be closed in the near future. The Colorado Sun (Denver), June 29, 2021

Emergency fishing restrictions will take effect in Oregon July 1 through Sept. 30 in several angling zones as intense drought threatens fish. KTVZ-TV NewsChannel 21 (Bend, Ore.), June 30, 2021

More wildlife, notably bears and rattlesnakes, were encroaching on California’s urban areas in search of wetter, cooler conditions. The Hill (Washington, D.C.), June 28, 2021

More snakes, including venomous snakes, are being observed earlier than usual this year in Utah’s Salt Lake Valley. The Great Basin rattlesnake and Mojave sidewinder, both venomous, have been spotted in the St. George area in the southwestern corner of the state. Summer, and especially drought, lead to more snake sightings, not to mention the wildfires displacing them. Deseret News (Salt Lake City, Utah), June 26, 2021

More rattlesnakes have been encountered in densely populated areas of Nevada as drought drives the serpents to neighborhoods in search of food. KOLO 8 News (Reno, Nev.), June 29, 2021

Bears were visiting some North Dakota towns in search of food as berry bushes offered little for the bruins this year. AM 1100 The Flag (Fargo, N.D.), June 25, 2021

A statewide burn ban took effect in Washington State on July 2 as the region coped with extreme heat and drought. The order banned outdoor burning, campfires, the use of charcoal briquettes, and prescribed burns on all forest lands within Department of Natural Resources’ fire protection and will last through Sept. 30, but could be extended. Since the start of the year, the Washington DNR responded to 899 fires that blackened 1,864 acres, with most of the blazes occurring in eastern Washington. Numerous public officials have urged Washingtonians to forgo the personal fireworks this year and take in a public display instead. SeattlePI.com (Wash.), July 1, 2021

The governor of Utah and other leaders warned Utahns to skip the personal fireworks as intense drought persisted. Daily Herald (Provo, Utah), June 30, 2021

Arizonans were urged to leave the fireworks alone as much of the state was in exceptional drought and wildfire activity was already high in the state. Associated Press News (N.Y.), July 2, 2021

The high fire risk in Oregon, given the recent heatwave and ongoing heat, led the state fire marshal and the Oregon Department of Forestry chief of fire protection to urge the public to be mindful of the dry conditions when celebrating the Fourth. KTVZ-TV NewsChannel 21 (Bend, Ore.), July 1, 2021

Minnesota officials reminded the public to be extremely cautious with fire-related activities this year, due to the heightened fire risk. Fire and fireworks restrictions were in effect for southern Beltrami County, and all of Cass, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Morrison, Todd, and Wadena counties. KMXK-FM (St. Cloud, Minn.), July 2, 2021

Firefighting on state and federal lands in Utah has cost around $36 million since the start of the year, which is unusual so early in the year. The number of wildfires was below that of 2020, but intense drought and extreme heat have made it difficult to manage wildfires. The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah), July 2, 2021

All Arizona State Trust Land throughout the state were closed due to extremely high fire danger, drought, increased fire activity and limited resources. Hunting, camping and off-road vehicle use is not allowed on state owned and managed lands, per a news release from the Department of Forestry and Fire Management and the Arizona State Land Department. Eastern Arizona Courier (Safford), June 24, 2021

Since the start of the year, the Washington Department of Natural Resources responded to 899 fires that blackened 1,864 acres, with most of the blazes occurring in eastern Washington. SeattlePI.com (Wash.), July 1, 2021 Washington state firefighters responded to 475 fires on public land since the start of 2021, in comparison with 318 blazes at this time last year, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. Los Angeles Times (Calif.), June 19, 2021 Since the start of 2021, Washington State firefighters have responded to at least 410 fires on state lands, according to the state Public Lands commissioner. She described the fire activity as “the highest number of year-to-date fires in our history.” Spokane Spokesman-Review (Wash.), June 14, 2021

Gov. Jared Polis declared a drought emergency for western Colorado as impacts continued and water shortages occurred as the region endured years of intense drought. Colorado Water Conservation Board (Denver), July 1, 2021