Stage 2A water shortage alert, then stage 1 advisory in Hendersonville, North Carolina,

2 months 1 week ago
Hendersonville’s water shortage advisory was lifted after several significant rains. The Mills River was above the normal level, the outlook for precipitation was favorable, and the improvement in the drought status of the area led Hendersonville Water & Sewer to end the advisory. WHKP (AM) 1450 (Hendersonville, N.C.), Jan 17, 2024 Water users in Hendersonville remained in a Stage 1 Water Shortage Advisory due to moderate drought and low flow in the Mills River. Voluntary water conservation was encouraged. City of Hendersonville, N.C., Jan 8, 2024 Rainfall allowed Hendersonville to move from stage 2 water restrictions back to stage 1 advisory, calling for voluntary conservation. The precipitation also allowed neighboring towns of Tryon, Clyde, Canton, Highlands, Woodfin and Franklin to lift any restrictions that they had. WLOS (Asheville, N.C.), Dec 12, 2023 A Stage 2A water shortage alert began in Hendersonville on Oct. 5 as Mills River continued to have below normal flow. Non-essential water use was to be eliminated, and all customers were to reduce their water use by 20%. WHNS-TV FOX 21 (Greenville, S.C.), Oct 5, 2023

Mandatory water restrictions in York, Adams and Franklin counties in Pennsylvania

2 months 1 week ago
York Water Company's water restriction began on Sept. 15 and remained in effect as York County remains the only county in Pennsylvania under a drought warning. Lake Redman was about four feet low. Water use has been curbed by about 5%, but would be better if water conservation could be increased to 10% to 15%. FOX43 (Harrisburg, Pa.), Nov 13, 2023 Mandatory water restrictions on nonessential water use took effect in York on Sept. 15 as voluntary conservation and expected rainfall in the last 10 days did not restore the water supply. Despite pumping more than 11 million gallons daily from the Susquehanna River into Lake Redman Reservoir, the reservoir level was falling. York, Adams and Franklin counties were to conserve water. WGAL 8 (Lancaster, Pa.), Sept 15, 2023

Crawfish scarcity drove up prices in Louisiana

2 months 2 weeks ago
Average prices in Louisiana for boiled crawfish are $12.99 per pound, nearly double what it was this week last year, according to the co-founder of The Crawfish App. BRProud (Baton Rouge, La.), Jan 12, 2024 The Crawfish App indicates that markets in New Orleans were not selling live crawfish. Boiled crawfish were selling for $9 to $10. A crawfish business in Marrero was delaying opening seven days a week, due to the shortage. Ninety percent of their revenue comes from crawfish and carries them through the rest of the year. So the shortage worries the business owner. WDSU (New Orleans, La.), Jan 11, 2024 A crawfish farmer and his son reported that the drought and meager crawfish catch this season were almost not worth the trouble, given the expense of bait and labor. They were bringing $8 per pound on Jan. 9. In 2023, they could collect 20 to 30 sacks of crawfish from 300 to 400 acres. In January 2024, they were able to harvest about half of a sack, or about 15 pounds, daily from 80 acres, which is less than 5% of last year's catch. One year ago in 2023, crawfish sold for $4.50 per pound, but this year, the mudbugs average $8.50 per pound. KATC (Lafayette, La.), Jan 11, 2024

Crawfish restaurant opened late in Haughton, Louisiana

2 months 2 weeks ago
Local restaurants in Louisiana have not been able to serve crawfish because there were shortages. A restaurant in Haughton usually opens around Dec. 1, but has just opened because previously there weren’t any crawfish, due to drought and saltwater intrusions. Prices for the mudbugs were much higher than in past seasons. KTBS (Shreveport, La.), Jan 9, 2024

Coffeyville, Kansas to sell water to Caney

2 months 2 weeks ago
Coffeyville approved a plan to extend its water services to Caney, a small community that declared a state of emergency in 2023, due to its extremely low water supplies. Coffeyville will be selling 250,000 gallons of water to Caney daily. The construction of 15 miles of pipeline to connect the two towns’ water supplies is expected to cost $8 million and take 18 to 24 months. KWCH 12 (Wichita, Kan.), Jan 12, 2024

Brief state of emergency for Fleming-Neon, Kentucky

2 months 2 weeks ago
A local state of emergency was declared for Fleming-Neon on Jan. 5, due to low water levels in in the city’s freshwater well. Kentucky Emergency Management officials delivered 22 pallets of water to the city of fewer than 1,000 residents. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear declared a state of emergency for the city on Jan. 10 after the community requested more drinking water. Gov. Beshear announced that all water customers in Fleming-Neon should have water service restored as of Jan. 11. The city’s water plant was processing an average of 300,000 gallons of water daily but water leaks from aging infrastructure and flood damage from July 2022 have “exacerbated the situation.” Fleming-Neon was one many Eastern Kentucky communities devastated by deadly flooding during the summer of 2022. Kentucky Lantern (Frankfort, Ky.), Jan 11, 2024

Hartwell, Russell, Thurmond Lakes in Georgia, South Carolina return to drought level 1

2 months 2 weeks ago
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District, announced that Hartwell, Richard B. Russell and J. Strom Thurmond Lakes have emerged from drought level 2 and were back in drought level 1 operations due to the recent rain over the Savannah River System Basin. 94.1 The Lake WSNW Radio (Seneca, S.C.), Jan 12, 2024 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Savannah District, which encompasses Lake Hartwell, activated its drought management plan to conserve water. UpstateToday.com (Seneca, S.C.), Oct 25, 2023 The first drought level for the Upper Savannah River was declared on Sept. 10 as the pool elevation of J. Strom Thurmond Lake slipped below 326.0 feet above mean sea level. US Army Corps of Engineers, Savannah District (Ga.), Sept. 11, 2023

All of South Carolina returned to normal conditions

2 months 2 weeks ago
The South Carolina Drought Response Committee met on Jan. 11 and declared that the entire state was free of drought. Significant rainfall since mid-December allowed the committee to lift the incipient drought status for 16 counties and the moderate drought status of seven counties. Morning Ag Clips (Greenwich, N.Y.), Jan 11, 2024

Stage 2 restrictions in Alice, Texas

2 months 2 weeks ago
The City of Alice was in a Stage 2-Moderate Drought Restriction because Lake Corpus Christi dropped below the trigger of 86 feet and was at 85.9 feet. The Stage 2-Moderate Drought Restriction goal is to achieve a 15% reduction in total water use. Residents and businesses must also follow some water conservation guidelines involving a lawn watering schedule, vehicle washing, pool filling and refilling and other activities. Alice Echo News Journal (Texas), Jan 10, 2024

Drought, other factors caused foul aroma in Moberly, Missouri

2 months 2 weeks ago
A foul aroma from a wastewater-holding basin in Moberly was thought to be due to animal fat and drought from a meat-processing facility. People began complaining about the odor in April, and the city received the first odor violation notice from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources on Nov. 15 and was told to submit a plan to control the odor by Dec. 29. The city received a second warning the first week of January 2024. Efforts were underway to address the problem. KMIZ ABC 17 (Moberly, Mo.), Jan 10, 2024

Water being pumped into Fellows Lake amid drought in Springfield, Missouri

2 months 2 weeks ago
Drought has lowered lake levels in the Springfield area, leaving them about 5% lower than average. Total storage at City Utilities lakes was 76.4%, below the 81.8% average, according to the CU website. For the past month, water has been pumped from Stockton Lake into Fellows Lake to bolster water supplies. Springfield News-Leader (Mo.), Jan 4, 2024

Water, grass lacking for Mississippi cattle

2 months 2 weeks ago
A cow/calf and stock producer in New Hebron had to put out more water troughs in her pastures during the summer because ponds dried up. A lot of hay had to be purchased also because grass was not growing over the summer. The producer bought six months’ worth of hay and started feeding it by the start of October, much earlier than normal. The producer was only able to get two cuttings of hay rather than three this summer. Rye grass was planted in fields to supplement the hay. It was important to stretch the hay supply as there was not any in the area to purchase. Calves were sold in August rather than late September or October to preserve the pasture grass. The state climatologist stated that some cattle were sent out of state to areas with better water supplies. Soybean and cotton yields were down due to drought at the end of the growing season. SF | Successful Farming (Des Moines, Iowa), Dec 15, 2023

Short hay supplies in Georgia

2 months 2 weeks ago
Fall drought slowed hay growth in Georgia, leaving hay supplies running low. Growers tried to establish adequate winter grazing, but some late seeding in December has not yet become fully established. Many cattle producers were feeding supplements and trying to stretch hay supplies in the spring. Morning Ag Clips (Greenwich, N.Y.), Jan 3, 2024
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