Drought

Louisiana’s sugar cane farmers were using well water to irrigate their sugar cane as drought gripped nearly the entire state. Local crawfish farmers have also allowed cane growers to use their well water. KATC (Lafayette, La.), Aug 27, 2023

The city of Sequim declared a drought emergency, and residents were urged to voluntarily conserve water. The Washington Department of Ecology declared a drought emergency in late July for watersheds including the Dungeness River basin, which supplies Sequim with water via wells. Low stream flows jeopardize operations at fish hatcheries and salmon migration, so fishery and irrigation managers were coordinating to optimize stream flows to aid pink salmon presently migrating up the Dungeness River to spawn. My Clallam County (Port Angeles, Wash.), Aug 25, 2023

Drought in Canada led to a decline in the goose population, which will result in fewer geese, or “honkers,” for Torrington’s 2Shot Goose Hunt in early December. Canada’s potholes and small ponds where ducks and geese breed went dry this spring, leading to lower numbers of ducks and geese. In some places, the Canada goose population was up to 42% lower. In the Rocky Mountain region, counts were down about 25%. Cowboy State Daily (Lander, Wyo.), Aug 28, 2023

Wildfires continued to burn in the southwest part of Louisiana. The blaze in Vernon Parish blackened nearly 4,000 acres of forest and was 40% contained. KALB-TV (Alexandria, La.), Aug 28, 2023

The Tiger Island Fire in Beauregard Parish charred at least 33,000 acres and was 50% contained. A special firefighting team arrived to help battle the flames. KALB-TV (Alexandria, La.), Aug 28, 2023

Business has been down 20% for an inner tube and kayak rental service with a couple of locations in eastern Iowa. Rivers were low due to little precipitation, and low river levels meant that renters sometimes damaged equipment by popping tubes and scraping the kayaks. The low water levels may have resulted in a financial loss of $4,000-$5,000. Sand Lake in Iowa City was too low to even have a season renting equipment. KCRG Online (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Aug 29, 2023

More than 450 fires have blackened parts of Louisiana as record-breaking heat and severe drought conditions gripped the state. The Tiger Island Fire, the largest wildfire in the state’s history, grew from about 15,000 acres on Friday, Aug. 25 to more than 33,000 acres Sunday and was just 50% contained. Two lives have been lost in fires in St. Tammany and Washington parishes. Louisiana, one of the wettest states in the country, averages 771 wildfires a year, according to 10-year average data from the Louisiana Agriculture and Forestry Department. The state has averaged 21 wildfires per day over the past several weeks. The Washington Post (D.C.), Aug 29, 2023 Hundreds of wildfires were burning in Louisiana amid intense heat and drought. The Tiger Island Fire in Beauregard Parish in western Louisiana led to evacuation orders and blackened more than 10,000 acres, or approximately 16 square miles. The flames reached 300 feet in height. A statewide burn ban that took effect in early August remained in place. Firefighters were exhausted from battling blazes and pleaded with the public to observe the burn ban. The Associated Press (Baton Rouge, La.), Aug 23, 2023

Mineral Wells was in Stage Two water restrictions and was days away from entering Stage Three restrictions when water usage should be cut by 30%. Lake Palo Pinto was at 35% capacity on Aug. 29. Water from the Brazos River was being pumped into the lake to increase supply, but treating the water was costly and time-consuming. Special equipment required to treat the water was delayed. WFAA (Dallas, Texas), Aug 29, 2023 Drought conditions in the Mineral Wells area have the region on track to hit stage 3 drought restrictions this summer. The Mineral Wells city manager also secured another significant source of raw water for the district, which serves customers in Palo Pinto and Parker counties. The district will purchase Brazos River water, which would be blended with water from Lake Palo Pinto. Weatherford Democrat (Texas), May 23, 2023 Lake Palo Pinto dropped below the trigger level for Stage II of Mineral Wells’ drought contingency plan. Starting April 1, all outdoor water use is prohibited except for animals. The aim is to curb total water use by 25%. Weatherford Democrat (Texas), March 24, 2023

Drought has caused the ground in St. Martinville to shift and crack and break waterlines. City maintenance crews shut off the water citywide to repair the leaks. The city was under a boil order until further notice. KATC (Lafayette, La.), Aug 28, 2023

The wine grapes in southeastern Minnesota have seen a lot of dry days this growing season. The younger vines have been irrigated since their root systems are not as well developed as older vines. Some of the grapes have ripened faster this year. KIMT 3 (Rochester, Minn.), Aug 18, 2023

Drought and excessive heat in Marion made it difficult for an orchard owner to keep his newly planted apple trees watered enough. The trees did not grow as fast and the fruit was not as big as usual, but the flavor was better. KCRG (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Aug 25, 2023

Extreme heat and drought have Selma’s Water Works and Sewer Board asking residents to curb their water use. The aim was to keep potable water flowing for all customers and to allow the city time to refill water reserves after water main breaks and use by firefighters. WSFA (Montgomery, Ala.), Aug 25, 2023

The dearth of rain and intense heat in the Jackson area has stressed the grass at the Greenwood Cemetery. The executive director explained that some graves become more visible as the grass turns brown in a rectangular shape where the grave is. Some of the graves were so old that any markers that might have existed were gone, so the drought is helpful in locating forgotten unmarked graves. WJTV TV 12 (Jackson, Miss.), Aug 25, 2023

Water customers in Elkton were asked to voluntarily conserve water because the high demand was straining the well pumps. The South Fork of the Shenandoah River was so low that one could walk across it. WHSV Online (Harrisonburg, Va.), Aug 25, 2023

Baton Rouge Water Co. and its affiliate companies serving East Baton Rouge and Ascension parishes asked more than 190,000 customers to conserve water due to high demand, intense heat and drought. Baton Rouge Advocate (La.), Aug 25, 2023

Landscapers in the Shenandoah Valley were mowing less due to drought and were doing other jobs like mulching to keep busy. WHSV Online (Harrisonburg, Va.), Aug 24, 2023

After several seasons of low water levels at Crescent Lake, the Crescent Ranger District staff intends to reevaluate the project design in light of present and future lake conditions to offer a good design for such conditions. The lake was in severe drought and may need several years of well above average snowfall and precipitation to return to normal levels. KTVZ-TV NewsChannel 21 (Redmond, Ore.), Aug 23, 2023

Insects in East Texas were stressed by the dry conditions. Ants and other pests were making their way into homes in search of moisture. KYTX CBS19 (Tyler, Texas), Aug 24, 2023

A bait shop owner near Lake Corpus Christi reported that his business was suffering as drought lowered lake levels, causing certain boat ramps to close. Fortunately, Tropical Storm Harold just brought rain that refilled the lake, so business should rebound. KRISTV NBC 6 Corpus Christi (Texas), Aug 23, 2023

San Antonio Water System was in Stage 2 water restrictions, but customers were not adhering to the restrictions. Lawn watering continued, leading to record water pumping, which resulted in more water main breaks. During August, SAWS has had 754 main breaks, already 25 more than the full month of July. The water supplier predicts 965 water main breaks by the end of the month. MySA.com (San Antonio, Texas), Aug 24, 2023