Drought

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management intends to round up wild horses in the Muddy Creek Herd Management Area. About 40 wild horses will be removed from the area in spots where water is limited. Wild horses showing signs of dehydration and stress will be removed around June 24 using temporary bait and water trap methods. Helicopters will not be used. KSL News Radio 102.7 FM (Salt Lake City, Utah), June 16, 2025

Revenues for Reading Area Water Authority were down for seven to eight months due to the request for voluntary water conservation. As a result, billings were down a quarter of a million dollars a month, according to an employee with RAWA. Berks County remained in a drought warning by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s reckoning. At that stage, the aim is to curb water use by 10% to 15%. WFMZ 69 News (Allentown, Pa.), June 12, 2025

Fireworks will not be allowed in Ogallala this Fourth of July after the Ogallala City Council voted to extend a ban originally put in place in May due to elevated fire danger. Western Nebraska continued to deal with dry conditions and increased wildfire risk. News Channel Nebraska (Grand Island, Neb.), June 12, 2025

The Blackfeet Tribal Business Council declared a State of Emergency on Tuesday, June 10, due to intensifying and ongoing drought. The declaration made available resources and efforts to reduce drought’s impact on water supplies, agriculture and public health. ABC FOX Montana (Mont.), June 11, 2025

Aspen City Council declared a voluntary stage one water shortage in response to escalating drought conditions and the city’s limited water storage capacity. Aspen relies on surface water from Castle and Marron Creeks and does not have any major reservoirs, but only three to five days’ worth of treated water stored at a time. The Aspen Times (Colo.), June 11, 2025

Santa Fe County commissioners imposed a ban on fireworks, such as missile-type rockets, helicopters, aerial spinners, stick-type rockets, and ground audible devices, through July 10. The aim was to protect lives, property and the environment. KOB 4 (Santa Fe, N.M.), June 11, 2025

Leaders of the City of Yakima have encouraged water conservation as the region was experiencing drought. KIMA-TV (Yakima, Wash.), June 7, 2025

The strawberry crop in Coshocton may be slightly smaller after drought last summer and fall and a cold, wet spring reduced crop growth and production. Farmers’ Advance (Camden, Mich.), June 11, 2025

Clallam County Public Utility District No. 1 declared a stage 2 water alert for its Carlsborg, Evergreen, Panoramic Heights and Port Angeles Composite water systems. The Port Angeles Composite Water System includes the city of Port Angeles, Gales Addition Water System, Monroe Water System, Mount Angeles Water System, Fairview Water System and the Ranney Collector Well System. The alert was made due to an expanded emergency drought declaration from the state Department of Ecology that includes the Elwha-Dungeness watershed due to snowpack and precipitation deficits. In a stage 2 alert, water customers should conserve water and prepare for the possibility of additional drought response measures. Peninsula Daily News Online (Port Angeles, Wash.), June 11, 2025

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued a drought watch for eight counties in South Jersey, including all of Atlantic, Cape May and Cumberland counties, eastern sections of Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties, the southeastern region of Burlington County and the southern region of Ocean County. Deficits in groundwater and stream flow persisted in the Coastal South. Water conservation continued to be encouraged statewide. NJ.com (Newark, N.J.), June 11, 2025

The statewide drought warning for all of New Jersey ended on June 11 after it was declared in November 2024. NJ.com (Newark, N.J.), June 11, 2025 New Jersey remained in a drought warning, according to the state Department of Environmental Protection Drought Information website. May 15, 2025 The New Jersey statewide drought warning that began in November remained in effect as drought persisted in the Garden State. NJ.com (Newark, N.J.), Feb 27, 2025 New Jersey officials declared a drought warning as wildfires continued to burn and reservoirs were becoming depleted. Water conservation was urged. The drought warning lets the Department of Environmental Protection manage water systems more closely by controlling releases from reservoirs and altering the flow in some waterways to supply areas most affected by drought. New Jersey Patch (Trenton), Nov 13, 2024

Collier County Commissioners lifted the countywide burn ban on June 11 following recommendations from local fire officials and emergency management. The public was still urged to continue to be cautious with fire. Naples Daily News (Fla.), June 11, 2025 Collier County commissioners implemented a burn ban on February 11, due to severe drought. The ban was for unincorporated parts of the county and prohibited outdoor campfires and burning trash and yard waste. Naples Daily News (Fla.), Feb 11, 2025

The City of Vancouver announced a total ban on all recreational burning, beginning 12:01 a.m. Friday, June 13, due to heightened fire danger. The order was enacted due to arid weather, dry vegetation, and public safety concerns. The ban will remain in effect through the summer and fall months or until conditions significantly improve. Violators could face a $500 fine and potential criminal penalties. KXL-AM 750 (Vancouver, Wash.), June 10, 2025

The El Paso County Commissioners Court banned the sale and use of skyrockets with sticks and missiles with fins for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday. The Commissioners Court voted on June 9 to prohibit the sale and use of such fireworks in the unincorporated areas of the county. Other types of fireworks were still allowed. KFOX 14 (El Paso, Texas), June 9, 2025

A wastewater reclamation plant was under construction just east of St. George. The aim is to extend the area’s water supply by treating wastewater, which will be used to irrigate lawns and farm fields. KUER 90.1 (Salt Lake City, Utah), June 9, 2025

Stage 1 fire restrictions took effect in unincorporated areas of Summit County and in the Park City Fire District. The order went into effect June 1 and will remain in place until further notice. The restrictions were adopted as record-dry vegetation and current weather patterns heightened the risk of wildfires. TownLift (Park City, Utah), June 9, 2025

Recent rain allowed Sarasota County and the City of Venice to lift the burn bans issued in March by the Sarasota County Fire Department. The ban was lifted on June 9 when the Keech Bryan Drought Index dropped below 500 for seven consecutive days. My Sun Coast (Sarasota, Fla.), June 9, 2025 A burn ban was in effect for Sarasota County as drought increased the fire danger. Outdoor burning was prohibited without a valid permit, apart from barbeque grills or pits up to 3 feet in diameter and 2 feet in height. WTVT-TV FOX 13 Tampa Bay (Fla.), March 26, 2025

Fire restrictions were implemented on most federal, state and private land in unincorporated areas in Washington, Kane and Garfield counties in Utah. To the south in Arizona, stage one fire restrictions extend to all state lands north of the Grand Canyon, National Park Service land in the Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument and all public land managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management in the Arizona Strip, including Vermillion Cliffs National Monument. Stage two restrictions were in effect at Zion National Park’s Watchman Campground, where no open fires were allowed. However, campfires at the park’s Lava Point were permitted if they are confined to established fire rings The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah), June 6, 2025

The updated 2025 calendar year runoff forecast for the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City, Iowa, remained below average. May runoff in the Missouri River Basin above Sioux City was 3.4 million acre-feet, 100% of average. Fort Peck releases were lowered to 9,000 cfs on June 8 and Garrison releases were decreased to 23,000 cfs due to the lower runoff forecast. Releases were expected to stay at those rates through mid-September at Garrison Dam and through September at Fort Peck Dam. The power plants were forecasted to generate 8.4 billion kWh this year, compared to the long-term average of 9.4 billion kWh. US Army Corps of Engineers, Northwestern Division, June 5, 2025

Unusually hot and dry conditions have made it necessary to keep operations at SKQ Dam at license-required minimums. Flathead Lake was being filled as aggressively as possible while avoiding flood control limits, but despite these actions, the lake will not reach full pool this summer. Energy Keepers expected the lake to reach peak levels on June 19 and then begin dropping. KPAX (Missoula, Mont.), June 5, 2025