Drought

The City of Beaumont was experiencing so many water main breaks that they were considering hiring contractors to assist with water main repairs as extreme heat and drought continued to take a toll. Water conservation was mandatory under the stage 3 restrictions. 12 News KBMT (Beaumont, Texas), Aug 16, 2023

Algae in Lake Manatee caused drinking water to taste unpleasant last month, but the peculiar taste should be gone. The algae continued to bloom amid drought conditions and was expected to persist until the drought ends. Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Fla.), Aug 16, 2023

Pasture grasses in Osceola County mostly dried up in May and June amid the hot, dry weather. Many area beef farmers had to feed hay supplies intended to be used in the winter months, meaning that more hay will have to be purchased for the winter. Some cattle may also be sold before winter. Drought hurt the hay crop. Yields from the first cutting were 20% to 40% less than normal. Drought also decreased the size of the second cutting of hay. Christmas trees were affected by the dry weather, too. Growers lost 10% to 40% of the seedlings planted this year. Christmas tree prices will not be impacted immediately, but may show up years from now if there is a shortage of trees. Cadillac News (Mich.), Aug 16, 2023

Trees at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum in Chaska were turning color and dropping their leaves early in mid-August due to stress from drought and/or heat. More borer damage occurred on trees that might not have happened otherwise. CBS Minnesota (Minneapolis) , Aug 15, 2023

The Lower Colorado River Authority entered Stage 2 drought response on Monday, Aug. 14, and asked all firm water customers (municipalities, water districts and industries) to curb their water use by 10% to 20% and to enact mandatory water restrictions. The combined storage in Lake Travis and Buchanan, the two water supply reservoirs in the Highland Lakes, dropped below 900,000 acre-feet over the weekend, putting them at 46% of capacity. Customers were urged to reduce landscape watering. KXAN Online (Austin, Texas), Aug 15, 2023

The Lower Colorado River Authority announced that Highland Lakes water will not be available in 2023 for most of its agricultural customers in Colorado, Wharton and Matagorda counties. Severe drought continues in the Texas Hill Country, affecting inflows and levels in the region’s water supply reservoirs at Lake Buchanan and Lake Travis. Agricultural customers in the Gulf Coast, Lakeside and Pierce Ranch operations lost access to Highland Lakes water this year, due to drought intensity and duration and the amount of water in the lakes. The combined water storage in Lakes Buchanan and Travis on March 1 was 1.037 million acre-feet, about 52% of capacity. LCRA remains in Stage 1 of its Drought Contingency Plan for Firm Water Customers, which began in July 2022. The combined storage in Lakes Buchanan and Travis was 1.2 million acre-feet, below the trigger of 1.4 million acre-feet, and interruptible supplies were curtailed. LCRA requested its firm customers voluntarily reduce their water use by 5% in July 2022. KXAN-TV NBC 36 (Austin, Texas), March 2, 2023

The town of Fairbury declared a water emergency. Lawn watering is permitted on an even/odd schedule depending on address. NewsChannel Nebraska (Grand Island), Aug 15, 2023

The Town of Strasburg declared a drought emergency condition due to the low level of the North Fork of the Shenandoah River, the main water source for the town. This is the first drought emergency since 2017. The river’s seven-day average flow had dropped to 70 cfs as of Aug. 9, which led to the drought emergency declaration. The aim is to reduce daily water demand by 10% to 15% through mandatory water restrictions. The level of the North Fork River in Strasburg Aug. 15 was 1.7 feet which is not far above the record low of 1.5 feet set in February of 1934. WHSV Online (Harrisonburg, Va.), Aug 15, 2023

A boil water advisory was issued by the Plaquemines Parish Government for a portion of Port Sulphur after a 20-inch water main break on the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 15. Residents and businesses across Plaquemines Parish have been urged to conserve water due to extreme heat and drought. WDSU (New Orleans, La.), Aug 15, 2023

Less than 24 hours after the announcement of Stage 2 water restrictions, the city of Beaumont entered Stage 3 due to high water demand. Water customers used 39 million gallons daily for three consecutive days. Under Stage 3 restrictions, the aim is to reduce water use by 12.5%. Beaumont Enterprise (Texas), Aug 15, 2023

Some water customers of Texas Water Company were in stage four watering restrictions due to intense heat and exceptional drought conditions. Nearly half of the counties served by Texas Water Company were already in stage four, including Bandera, Medina and Kendall counties, while the other half of the service area remained in stage three water restrictions. Outdoor water use is prohibited in stage four water restrictions. Texas Water Company draws from the Trinity Aquifer as its primary water source. News 4 San Antonio (Texas), Aug 13, 2023

Junction City was in the third week of a water emergency with all water users to limit their water use by 30%. Outdoor watering was limited to 15 minutes per day. Restaurants must post drought notices and only offer water if the customer requests it. KEZI Online (Eugene, Ore.), Aug 11, 2023

Monroe was in a stage 2 moderate water emergency with the goal of mandatorily reducing water use by 30% due to drought and an equipment failure at the city’s water plant. Outdoor watering was limited to 15 minutes per day. Restaurants must post drought notices and only offer water if the customer requests it. KEZI Online (Eugene, Ore.), Aug 11, 2023

Fish, plants and other wildlife were threatened as water sources run low. Barton Springs Pool, for example, is home to the Barton Springs salamander and the Austin blind salamander. Austin American-Statesman (Texas), Aug 14, 2023

Drought has lowered water levels at swimming holes in Central Texas. Jacob’s Well in Hays County has closed due to low flow. Barton Springs Pool in Austin has a 10-day average water flow of 15 cubic feet per second, which is far below the average flow of 68 cfs. The pool remains open, but could close if the water flow slows. Blue Hole in Wimberly has been less affected by the drought as alternate entrances from the aquifer have allowed water to continue to flow, but the swimming hole was only roughly 65% filled. Many wells draw water from area aquifers, leaving less for springs that feed the swimming areas. Austin American-Statesman (Texas), Aug 14, 2023

Comal County also issued an emergency declaration on Aug. 11 due to steadily increasing fire danger during the last month. KENS 5 (San Antonio, Texas), Aug 11, 2023

The Bandera city council met and opted to close the city park and restrict swimming in the Medina River due to poor water quality. The river was no longer flowing, leaving the water in pools, in which organisms can multiply. The public was reminded to conserve water. KENS 5 (San Antonio, Texas), Aug 11, 2023

Farmers on either side of the Mississippi River in Minnesota and Wisconsin report only meager rainfall from early May through July 22. Crop germination may have failed or been inconsistent. The height of corn plants varies by several feet. Soybeans were smaller than usual. Herbicides did not get enough moisture to activate. La Crosse Tribune (Wis.), Aug 1, 2023

Drought has cut into hay and other crop production in Texas this summer. A horse owner worried about whether her hay producer in Waller just northwest of Houston would be able to grow enough hay for her. Hay fields had dried up in the Waller area, so the hay grower was importing hay from other states to fill her orders. The horse owner was paying nearly $1,000 weekly for hay for her horses and expected a weekly increase of $200 to $500 per week. KRIV FOX 26 Houston (Texas), Aug 10, 2023

Trees in the Shreveport area were stressed by several events, including severe storms earlier this summer, extreme heat and drought. Trees continued to drop limbs. KSLA TV 12 (Shreveport, La.), Aug 10, 2023