Drought

Austin and Travis County both issued a disaster declaration on Tuesday, Aug. 15. The declaration, coming on the heels of Gov. Greg Abbott's statewide disaster declaration Monday, unlocked further resources and staffing, allowed the mayor and county judge to take quicker actions, and set up evacuation protocols. The Austin Chronicle (Texas), Aug 18, 2024

A number of grass fires broke out across Iowa on Feb. 8, due to high winds, dry conditions and ongoing drought. Various rural areas dealt with larger fires in Corydon, Indianola and New Virginia. KCCI TV 8 (Des Moines, Iowa), Feb 9, 2024

Water levels continued to drop in several Central Texas lakes. Compared to normal lake levels at this time of year, Lake Whitney was down 7.1 feet, Lake Waco was 9.7 feet lower, Lake Belton was down 16.3 feet and Stillhouse Hollow was down 16.9 feet. Many boat ramps were completely out of the water, and swimming areas were also low. The public was advised to be cautious in shallow waters. KWKT FOX 44 News (Waco, Texas), Aug 17, 2023

Residents of Crystal were urged to use water wisely as the Mississippi Headwaters Watershed was in a drought phase. KSTP-TV ABC 5 Minneapolis/St. Paul (Minn.), Aug 11, 2023

The high cost of hay and other items connected with showing livestock has made it difficult for FFA and 4-H students to raise an animal to show. The price of a bale of hay might range from $125 to $150. Consequently, fewer students were showing animals this year. KETK (Tyler, Texas), Feb 9, 2024

A dairy farmer in Genesee County left the cattle business because the cost of hauling water made milk production unprofitable. The farmer planned to continue growing crops. There was concern for other dairy farmers as wells have not recovered despite 14 inches of snow. No rain has fallen. More precipitation was desperately needed so there is moisture for the upcoming growing season. The Batavian (N.Y.), Feb 8, 2024

Yakima Basin farmers were worried about not having enough water toward the end of the season. Some row crops may need to be neglected to provide enough water for permanent crops like fruit trees. To conserve water, some cherry tree growers stopped watering their trees after the harvest, although water is crucial for the trees to survive. KIMA-TV (Yakima, Wash.), Aug 10, 2023

Water users in Brainerd were urged to conserve water as severe to extreme drought conditions existed for Crow Wing County. Brainerd Daily Dispatch (Minn.), Aug 11, 2023

A bottled water advisory was issued for Kimballton because the municipal water contained too much manganese. KCCI TV 8 (Des Moines, Iowa), July 5, 2023

A water watch was declared for Kimballton through the end of September, due to drought and high temperatures. The community has been in a water bottle advisory since July because the water has too much manganese in it. KCCI TV 8 (Des Moines, Iowa), Aug 1, 2023

The City of Wichita warned residents to watch their water use after reports show a 6% uptick in water usage commercially and 12% increase residentially compared to June 2022. The city has also been in stage one water restrictions since January. KAKE (Wichita, Kan.), July 26, 2023

July 2023 runoff in the Missouri River basin above Sioux City, Iowa, was 99% of average or 3.3 million acre-feet, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers. Runoff was near or above average in all areas, except Fort Peck in Montana, which was 68% of average. Precipitation was below normal over much of the upper Missouri River basin in July, apart from small areas in Wyoming and southern South Dakota. The lower basin had a mix of above- and below-normal rainfall. The six mainstem power plants generated 877 million kWh of electricity in July, down 79,000 kWh from the typical July energy generation of 956 million kWh. The power plants were expected to produce 7.8 billion kWh of electricity this year, compared to the long-term average of 9.4 billion kWh. DRGNews (Pierre, S.D.), Aug 10, 2023

The mandatory water conservation order for Round Hill ended on Feb. 7 after taking effect on Nov. 1 because drought limited water production from its 12 wells. On Feb. 7, the town received state approval to add a new well. Voluntary water conservation was again encouraged. Loudon Now (Leesburg, Va.), Feb 8, 2024 The Round Hill Town Council on Nov. 1, adopted mandatory water restrictions, which prohibit most outdoor water use. Round Hill officials initially urged water conservation in August as lower well yields and longer recharge times caused alarm. On Sept. 6, the council enacted a formal voluntary water conservation policy urging the public to avoid water waste. Despite the calls for conservation, water consumption has not fallen significantly. Loudoun Now (Leesburg, Va.), Nov 2, 2023

A crawfish business in Lewisville was struggling, given the scarcity of crawfish after heat and drought in 2023 wiped out the mudbugs. The owner said that he would have to pay nearly double the usual cost per pound, but he still cannot find as much as he would typically purchase. He has opted to close his business for the month, which includes Super Bowl Sunday and Fat Tuesday. WFAA (Dallas, Texas), Feb 7, 2024

More than 100 denizens of Bethany attended a public hearing as town leaders voted unanimously to create a public water district that will get its water from the town of Batavia. Wells in Bethany have been dry for months due to drought. Construction for the new water district is expected to be completed in May 2026. WHAM Online (Rochester, N.Y.), Feb 7, 2024

Hot, dry weather has increased the risk of hay fires on Midwest farms. There has been an increase in hay fires in barns and elsewhere when bales were tightly stacked. Brownfield Ag News (Jefferson City, Mo.), July 27, 2023

The Washington State Department of Ecology announced curtailment notices earlier this month to rights holders on 10 bodies of water in Washington: Asotin Creek, Cow Creek, Entiat River, Little Spokane River, Marshall Creek, Methow River, Okanogan-Similkameen River, Walla Walla River mainstem, Wenatchee River and Yakima River. Columbia Basin Herald (Moses Lake, Wash.), July 28, 2023

Three public water systems in Whatcom County have run dry, and three additional systems were not far from emergency situations. On July 25, Baker View and Aldergrove were completely out of water or nearly out, and Mountain View had opened an emergency intertie with the City of Ferndale, so the well system could connect to the city’s water supply. Another three wells were running very low, forcing residents to conserve. Cascadia Daily News (Bellingham, Wash.), July 26, 2023

Visitors to city parks in San Marcos were urged to bring their own water as drought leads to cracks in the soil and broken water pipes. The city has to shut off water to the parks until repairs can be made. FOX 7 Austin (Texas), July 28, 2023

Members of the Nebraska Corn Board have trimmed their budget and have requested an increase in the corn checkoff from one half-cent to one cent. Drought and inflation have cut into the amount collected, which is around $7 million. NTV (Axtell, Neb.), Feb 6, 2024