Drought

A Hidalgo County judge issued a disaster declaration on Tuesday, April 9 concerning the ongoing drought. Due to “the prolonged period of exceptional drought conditions,” the declaration stated the drought conditions “pose an imminent and continuous threat of widespread or severe damage, injury or loss of life or property and to public health, municipal water supplies and agricultural production.” The declaration took effect immediately and will last for seven days. The Hidalgo County Commissioners Court may extend the declaration at their next meeting on April 16. ValleyCentral.com (Brownsville, Texas), April 9, 2024

All commercial and recreational salmon fishing off the coast of California was canceled for the second consecutive year for just the fourth time in state history, due to the meager salmon population. The Pacific Fishery Management Council, the authority responsible for setting Pacific salmon seasons, voted unanimously for the closure. The fishing industry supports many thousand jobs and was still feeling the effects of the shutdown last year. In 2023, a little more than 6,100 fall-run Chinook, returned to the upper Sacramento River to spawn, according to a February report by the fishery council. The average between 1996 and 2005 was more than 175,000 fish. The council also recommends that the California Fish and Game Commission ban river fishing. The Associated Press (New York), April 10, 2024

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources cautioned boaters that launching vessels could be challenging this spring due to lower than normal water levels in many lakes and rivers. DNR crews were repairing boat ramps damaged over winter and will extend boat ramps when possible. Those with larger boats will have to pay particular attention to ramp lengths and water depths. Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (St. Paul, Minn.), April 4, 2024

The Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District went from Stage 3 Critical Drought to Stage 2 Alarm Drought on March 1. The district entered Stage 3 in October 2022 and went to Stage 4 Exceptional Drought in December 2023. Several inches of rain in the first two months of 2024 enhanced the flow at Barton Springs and helped refill the Edwards and Trinity Aquifers and area creeks. KVUE News (Austin, Texas), March 1, 2024 The Barton Springs Edwards Aquifer Conservation District board of directors voted to move to a Stage 4 Exceptional Drought declaration, the first time such a declaration had ever been made. Stage 4 would mean significant pumping restrictions and permanent reclassification for certain District permittees beginning Jan. 1, 2024. KXAN (Austin, Texas), Dec 15, 2023

Water restrictions were in effect for the Tama County fire departments regarding conserving water during training. A mandatory water conservation order has been in effect for the county since March 13. Times-Republican (Marshalltown, Iowa), April 3, 2024

The fall drought in South Carolina forced an Oconee County farmer to plant her grass later than ever before in December. That grass, which would normally be six to eight inches tall, was barely two inches tall as of February 2024. The 2023 drought led her to spend $7,000 more on hay than in the year prior. Farmers attest that drought in the state began well before it was officially declared by the South Carolina Drought Response Committee. In October 2023, the committee recognized 23 of the state’s 46 counties as being in drought. But the Oconee County farmer noticed dry conditions as early as June 2023. The committee considers water levels in lakes and streams, wildfire threat level, precipitation and soil condition when monitoring drought. A grower in Greenville County planted and fertilized his pasture as usual in the fall, but the lack of soil moisture left the grass just two inches high in 2024. Greenville News (S.C.), April 2, 2024

Lake Travis was at 39% capacity and down nearly 38 feet below its historical average. The low water level was affecting business for a party boat rental company. Bookings were down about 25%, and potential water goers were concerned about safety. Boat ramps were closed due to the low water. KVUE News Online (Austin, Texas), March 29, 2024

The North Dakota Forest Service said that the fire season began the last week of February and will continue through May when green-up occurs, making it longer than normal this year. Twenty wildfires have already burned more than 500 acres. KFYR (Bismarck, N.D.), March 28, 2024

Hard freezes and drought in Louisiana reduced honey production in 2023. KADN-TV (Lafayette, La.), March 28, 2024

Some Micronesian islands, including Elato, Satawal and Lamotrek, experienced taro and coconuts reportedly drying up, water scarcity, low water wells or low drinking water. The Guam Daily Post (Tamuning, Guam), March 29, 2024

Jefferson County commissioners declared a local drought disaster and embarked on the process of requesting a state drought emergency declaration for the fifth consecutive year. Water supplies were low as Wickiup Reservoir held 152,504 acre-feet of water, compared to the historical average of 186,995 acre-feet at this time of year. The North Unit and Three Sisters irrigation districts were warning of more shortages and potential shutoffs in 2024. KTVZ-TV NewsChannel 21 (Redmond, Ore.), March 27, 2024

The growing population in the Austin area led the Lower Colorado River Authority Board of Directors to pass a new drought contingency plan for the more than three dozen Central Texas cities, water districts and industries that purchase water from the agency. The thresholds that trigger each drought stage are now lower than they were previously. LCRA customers are expected to observe the water restrictions, or face penalties, such as a verbal warning, a written notice, on up to a $10,000 per day fine. KVUE News (Austin, Texas), March 26, 2024

The low level of the Des Moines River has made water rescues more challenging for those who fall into the river near dams in the downtown area. The water extraction team can no longer perform rescues because the water is too shallow for the rescue boats. KCCI TV 8 (Des Moines, Iowa), March 23, 2024

Drought and recent rainfall have destabilized trees, allowing them to fall over. A driver near Beech Grove struck a pine tree that had fallen across a highway, but the person was not injured in the accident. Beaumont KFDM (Texas), March 22, 2024

Kempner is in Stage 2 drought because Stillhouse Lake was three feet lower than at this time in 2023. KXXV-TV ABC 25 Waco (Texas), March 20, 2024

The drought in Texas last summer prepared the way for this spring’s crop to be tremendous. The hot, dry summer caused some plant mortality, reducing competition on the landscape and making room for wildflowers to bloom in the following spring. Beaumont Enterprise (Texas), March 19, 2024

The monarch butterfly population in Texas was very low, due to drought in 2023 as the butterflies were flying south to Mexico for the winter. Monarch population numbers from early February 2024 indicated a 59% decrease in butterflies after returning from overwintering in Mexico. KXAS-TV NBC 5 Dallas - Fort Worth (Texas), March 20, 2024

The drought emergency declared for 12 watersheds in July 2023 remained in effect and was to expire June 30, 2024. October through December, the first quarter of the water year, was the sixth driest in Washington history, tied with 1933. December 2023 was the third warmest December on record for Washington state. Department of Ecology, State of Washington, Feb 1, 2024 A drought emergency was declared for parts of 12 Washington counties by the state Department of Ecology as dry weather persisted. In Whatcom County in the Nooksack River Basin, three water systems near Ferndale were dealing with dry or nearly dry wells, affecting about 350 water customers. Baker View Water System was hauling water via truck because wells had run dry. Aldergrove Water Association has to have its wells deepened as pumps were not drawing water or were barely able to draw water. Mountain View Water Association had to open an emergency intertie with Ferndale. The Bellingham Herald (Wash.), July 24, 2023

This crawfish season has so far been rather dismal after the heat and drought of the 2023 summer and the bitterly cold weather in January. Prices were higher for the crustaceans, where they were even available. “Many retail outlets in Texas cities outside of the Houston or Beaumont area are simply listing crawfish as ‘not available’ or ‘out for the season,’” according to an aquaculture specialist and director of the AgriLife Extension Aquatic Diagnostics Lab, Bryan-College Station. “This leaves many major metropolitan consumption areas such as Dallas-Fort Worth and San Antonio largely without a supply of crawfish.” The greater the distance from the crawfish farms, the more people will likely pay for crawfish. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), March 12, 2024

Drought has severely cut into the hay supply in the Vermilion Parish area. Land that previously produced six bales of hay per acre only yielded two bales amid the drought. The grass has grown more slowly and was too short to cut. KATC (Lafayette, La.), March 8, 2024