Drought

Plaquemines Parish has been using bottled water since June as salt water in the Mississippi River has reduced water quality. The parish will soon get reverse osmosis water purification units to filter the saltwater to yield safe drinking water. The parish will soon have units at all five of its water treatment plants and intends to have three operational in early October. Units were also being sought for St. Bernard, Orleans and Jefferson Parishes. CNN (Atlanta, Ga.), Sept 27, 2023

Cascade Water Alliance has encouraged water conservation like Seattle Public Utilities and asked customers to use less water amid a drought. Seattle Public Utilities’ reservoirs hold less than 30% of their capacity as watersheds that typically feed the reservoirs only received 7 to 8 inches, whereas they usually receive up to 26 inches of rain between May and September. The Seattle Times (Wash.), Sept 27, 2023

The fire marshals for the Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department and Rutherford County Fire & Rescue Department issued a mandatory open burning ban for the city limits of Murfreesboro and Rutherford County due to a dry spell. The joint burn ban took effect immediately and will remain until conditions improve. WGNS 1450-AM & 101.9 100.5-FM (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), Sept 27, 2023

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources announced more fire precautions for all parks due to the continued drought. Park visitors and overnight guests were asked to be extra careful with campfires and barbecue grills as the fire danger has risen. Campfires are not permitted outside of designated day-use picnic areas, campgrounds or developed recreational areas, but barbecue grills and gas-fueled stoves are allowed. The fire precautions were in addition to the Sept. 22 statewide fire alert. WHNT 19 News (Huntsville, Ala.), Sept 27, 2023

The lack of rain this summer frustrated produce growers who usually bring their produce to sell at a community market in Biloxi. The heat, combined with the absence of rain, wiped out the crops, commented one farmer. Flowers have not been blooming amid the drought, which has been a problem for the bees and honey production. Of the 200 Christmas trees planted this year, 75 were lost for lack of water. An Alabama farmer noted that the dry weather kept them from planting the greens at the usual time, but that the crop was emerging. A late hard freeze also damaged produce even before the heat and drought struck. WLOX TV 13 (Biloxi, Miss.), Sept 26, 2023

In the Minnesota and Iowa area east of Interstate 35, corn yields varied from 40 bushels per acre to 230 in the same field. Brownfield Ag News (Jefferson City, Mo.), Sept 22, 2023

Drought devastated crops in southern Mississippi this summer. Livestock farmers lacking hay sold cattle or fed their animals hay that should be kept for the winter months. While cattle usually begin eating hay in November, some were being fed hay in August this year. A cotton grower in Copiah County reported that he lost about $100,000 due to a poor cotton crop. Mississippi Today (Jackson, Miss.), Sept 26, 2023

President Biden approved the emergency declaration requested by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards for four parishes: Plaquemines, St. Bernard, Jefferson and Orleans. The Mississippi River has saltwater intrusion affecting or about to affect water supplies in those parishes. CNN (Atlanta, Ga.), Sept 27, 2023 Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards requested a federal emergency declaration for Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes, which have already been affected or were expected to be affected by salt water intrustion over the next month. CNN (Atlanta, Ga.), Sept 24, 2023

Wisconsin mussels were dying in large numbers as rivers dropped to near historic lows amid ongoing drought in the Badger State. Nearly half of the state’s 50 species of mussels are threatened, vulnerable or endangered. The public was asked to walk along rivers and creeks and rescue stranded mussels by tossing them into deeper water. WiscNews (Madison, Wis.), Sept 22, 2023 Thousands of mussels were stranded along the Wisconsin River as drought reduced the river's flow. Some mussels have already died, but efforts were underway to move the mussels into deeper water. WKOW-TV 27 ABC (Madison, Wis.), Sept 19, 2023

Canyon Lake continued to drop below its lowest point in recorded history as drought persisted in Texas. The low level of the lake exposed caves that were previously underwater, but were now accessible by boat. Divers also found remnants of two towns, Hancock and Crane’s Mill, that were hidden by the lake’s waters when Canyon Lake was formed. KSAT 12 Online (San Antonio, Texas), Sept 26, 2023

Historic drought in Louisiana has rats and mice seeking food and water in people’s homes. Since rodents carry more than 60 different diseases, residents should aim to find entry points and fix them if possible and take measures necessary to eliminate the pests. Louisiana Radio Network (Baton Rouge, La.), Sept 26, 2023

As saltwater intrusion continued to result in poorer quality water in Plaquemines Parish, grocery stores were working hard to keep bottles of water on store shelves, residents were getting rashes after showering, and people were frustrated with the water situation. A parish councilman stated that they were praying for rain to increase the flow of the Mississippi River. Gov. John Bel Edwards cautioned that more towns further up the Mississippi River, including Orleans, St. Bernard and Jefferson, may soon be affected by the salt water in mid-to-late October. In addition, millions of gallons of fresh water were being moved by barges to treatment facilities in impacted areas. Associated Press News (Baton Rouge, La.), Sept 25, 2023

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers intends to barge 36 million gallons of fresh water daily to local water treatment facilities to create a water mixture safe for treatment. The increased salinity from the saltwater intrusion is predicted to exceed the Environmental Protection Agency’s maximum standard of 250 mg/L in some areas, affecting public water systems and bringing the risk of corrosion to water distribution systems, machinery, and appliances, according to the governor’s office. Bottled water in bulk will also be delivered to the New Orleans area. CNN (Atlanta, Ga.), Sept 24, 2023

Apples grown at an orchard in Elgin were nice with few defects or other issues, but the apples were slightly smaller than usual. The pumpkin and squash crops failed because an irrigation system installed this summer was not operable soon enough to save those crops. KTTC-TV Rochester (Minn.), Sept 25, 2023

The ground was so dry across southeast Alabama that peanut farmers were having trouble unearthing the peanuts because little rain has fallen recently, leaving the ground very hard. Rain would still be beneficial in maturing some of the peanuts. WDHN-TV ABC 18 Dothan (Ala.), Sept 23, 2023

Lake Marburg in Codorus State Park has receded to reveal an old lake bridge. Hikers noticed cinder blocks and concrete recently. The bridge was part of the old village of Marburg, before it was abandoned to make way for the lake. FOX 43 (Harrisburg, Pa.), Sept 22, 2023

The owner of a pecan orchard in Seguin was inspecting his trees and was worried after finding 59 mature trees that died after a hot, dry summer. Thirty-eight trees younger than five years old have also died. The orchard owner has some limited irrigation capability, but the trees needed more water and relief from the intense heat. KXAN Online (Austin, Texas), Sept 25, 2023

The Tillamook Board of County Commissioners declared a local state of emergency due to drought on September 20. The need for such a declaration is highly unusual because the county typically receives more than 100 inches of rain annually. Some wells have run dry, and the Office of Resiliency and Emergency Management was delivering water. Because the area is usually flush with water, there were no companies operating potable water tanker trucks on the north coast, and few statewide. Tillamook Headlight Herald (Ore.), Sept 25, 2023

The mayor of New Orleans signed an emergency declaration over saltwater intrusion in the Mississippi River that is affecting water supplies in Plaquemines Parish. Weather forecasts suggest that river volume will drop to historic lows in the next several weeks. An underwater sill was constructed to slow movement of the saltwater in July, but the barrier was overtopped, so additional work to expand the sill will be untaken to keep the saltwater downriver. It is thought that saltwater intrusion can be delayed by roughly 10 to 15 days. ABC News, Sept 23, 2023

Intense heat and continuing drought in Louisiana were expected to lead to estimated losses of $135 million to $290 million in the beef cattle sector, per economists from LSU AgCenter. Limited hay supplies forced ranchers to sell cattle. Some cattle died from heat, but the biggest losses come from calves being weaned earlier than normal and cattle sales. Poor hay production is estimated to cost cattle producers $62 million to $108 million. Producers have sold from 10% to 30% of their permanent herds. AgFax (Brandon, Miss.), Aug 18, 2023