Drought

Central Texas Groundwater Conservation District entered Stage 3 drought conditions on April 19. Under Stage 3, voluntary conservation of 20% is recommended, so the public is asked to reduce outdoor water use. DailyTrib.com (Marble Falls, Texas), April 20, 2022

Hill Air Force Base is receiving less water from Weber Basin Water Conservancy District due to low snowpack and extremely low runoff in recent years. WBWCD reduced Hill’s secondary water allocations by 60% and its culinary water allocation by 48.6% overall. Furthermore, any water used above and beyond the allocation will be billed at 200% of the contracted value. Hill Air Force Base (Weber County, Utah), April 20, 2022

The Contra Costa Water District called for customers to conserve 15% compared to 2020 levels. A 15% drought surcharge will also be added to bills beginning July 1. The surcharge will encourage conservation and help recover revenue from lower water sales. The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.), April 21, 2022

Santa Clara residents may water landscaping only two days per week, instead of three. The city will also expand public information and increase water waste patrols. The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.), April 21, 2022

Recreational fires are prohibited in Sarasota County and the cities of Venice and North Port. The burn ban prohibits all outdoor burning that hasn't been permitted by the Florida Forest Service. The Venice and North Port Fire Rescue Departments also issued citywide recreational burn bans. Sarasota Herald-Tribune (Fla.), April 15, 2022

Adverse weather in the Plains like freezing temperatures can damage the wheat as it is emerging from dormancy. Drought in Nebraska and Kansas was keeping the crop condition ratings low. While the snow in the Dakotas is providing some moisture, it could harm the hard red winter wheat as it comes out of dormancy. Brownfield Online (Jefferson City, Mo.), April 19, 2022

Cotton futures are at rare high prices due to historic drought gripping parts of Texas with prices over $140 for May cotton. Prospects for the Texas cotton crop are bleak, given the intensity of the dryness and lack of subsoil moisture. Cotton may be planted, but without rain in the next month, the cotton is not likely to grow. Abandonment rates may be high. India has opened imports to cotton with no import duty given the high prices, which has moved the market higher. AgWeb (Mexico, Mo.), April 17, 2022

The tap water in Bountiful is green, but it’s safe to drink. The green-tinted water comes from snowmelt running over green vegetation before it gets to the treatment plant, but the plant is not equipped to remove the color. Due to the extreme drought, the city is using the snowmelt and is sparing the aquifers at present. The green water is free of bacteria and contaminants. The treatment facility is serving about half of Bountiful, so only half of the community gets this special spring treat. KJZZ-TV (Salt Lake City, Utah), April 8, 2022

Residents of Omaha, Lincoln and Fremont are urged by the Lower Platte River Consortium and the Papio-Missouri River Natural Resources District to conserve water as temperatures warm and drought is expected to continue through June. KETV-TV (Omaha, Neb.), April 14, 2022

Months of drought, high winds and dry grass continue to fuel extreme wildfire conditions across Kansas. The fires are also burning hotter and more aggressively, according to a volunteer fire captain in rural Pottawatomie County. More time and water have been needed to extinguish fires so they do not reignite later. With drought expected to persist into summer, the end of the fire season is not in sight. The number of volunteer firefighters has declined in recent years, so less manpower to battle fires leaves the remaining firefighters frustrated and exhausted after the all the fires in the last few months. Excessive rain in 2021 promoted grass growth, which presently is providing plenty of fuel for fires. Drought has stunted the growth of new green grass in spring 2022, which usually would be helpful as green grass does not burn like dead grass. High Plains Public Radio (Garden City, Kan.), April 15, 2022

Extreme drought conditions continued across the South Plains. Many farmers were still considering planting decisions based on drought conditions. Cattle continued to be supplementally fed. Many producers were thinning herds due to dry conditions and upward price trends. Several grass fires were reported. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), April 12, 2022 Wildfire danger and high wind warnings were reported in the South Plains. Very small amounts of rain fell in all counties. Subsoil and topsoil moisture levels improved but were still short. More moisture will be necessary to plant crops. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), April 5, 2022 Dry conditions continued across the South Plains. Producers were continuing to pre-water fields. Winter wheat needed moisture. Cattle were on supplemental feed. A grassfire was reported. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), March 29, 2022 Dry conditions continued across the district. All agriculture needed moisture. Farmers were also weighing their crop options according to the current drought and high input costs. Farmers were watering wheat and triticale. Dryland wheat needed relief from dry, windy conditions to be salvageable. Cattle were on supplemental feed due to lack of cool-season forages, and native grasses were still dormant. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), March 22, 2022 Conditions were very dry across the South Plains. Subsoil and topsoil moisture levels continued to be low. Dryland wheat fields were basically bare due to the prolonged drought. A few irrigated wheat fields were in fair condition, but most were in poor condition. Cattle were on supplemental feed due to the lack of grazing. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), March 15, 2022 Extremely dry conditions persisted in the South Plains. Producers with triticale and wheat began to water those crops, which were behind in maturation due to the lack of moisture. Planting conditions were unfavorable moving into the main growing season. Preplant irrigation was occurring but was sporadic. Cattle producers were supplementing herds with feedstuffs and hay. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), March 8, 2022 The South Plains received a little moisture, but conditions continued to be dry across the district. Winter wheat was in poor condition. Irrigated wheat was in fair condition. Row-crop fields were needing rain before planting. Cattle were on supplemental feed across the district. AgriLife (College Station, Texas), March 2, 2022

Rainfall amounts reached almost 2 inches in parts of North Texas, but more rainfall was needed. High winds stole some of the moisture away. Pasture and rangeland conditions were very poor to excellent. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), April 12, 2022 There was concern in North Texas about long-term drought, and producers were trying to locate hay supplies and secure contracts early. Wheat needed rain but improved significantly across the county since the latest rain events and warmer days. Pasture and rangeland were in very poor to fair condition. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), March 22, 2022 Soil moisture in North Texas ranged from short to adequate. Pasture and rangeland conditions were fair to poor. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), March 15, 2022 Soil moisture ranged from short to adequate in North Texas. Dry warm weather continued. Rains helped, but more was needed. Oats were generally in fair to good condition with a few counties reporting poor conditions. Most winter wheat fields were in poor to good condition. Pasture and rangeland conditions were very poor to fair. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), March 8, 2022 Drought remained in North Texas, and more moisture was needed. Pastures were helped by soil moisture which ranged from very short to adequate. Pasture and rangeland were fair to poor. AgriLife (College Station, Texas), March 2, 2022 Soil moisture ranged from very short to adequate. Some precipitation was received and should help winter pastures. Wheat showed some signs of relief and was mostly fair to good. Oats were reported to be very poor to good, but mostly fair. Pasture and rangeland were very poor to fair. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Feb 24, 2022 Topsoil moisture throughout North Texas was short to adequate. More rain is needed before spring. Winter wheat improved slightly across the district. Water tanks were becoming a concern and pond levels were significantly low for this time of year. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Feb 15, 2022 Topsoil moisture in North Texas is very short to short. Areas of the district were reporting extreme drought conditions. The lack of precipitation and high fertilizer prices were leading many wheat growers to consider delaying or splitting fertilizer applications based on cost and forecasts. Other wheat and oat producers reported fields were in decent shape but needed more precipitation. Pasture soil moisture and pond levels were becoming a concern. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Feb 1, 2022 Soil moisture was very short to short and declining in North Texas. Cold, dry conditions were damaging to the winter wheat and pastures. Ponds were becoming a major concern due to water level declines. Some animals got stuck while wading out in deep mud to access water. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Jan 25, 2022

Fire restrictions began at Carlsbad Caverns National Park on April 15. Charcoal and wood fires are banned, as is smoking, except in personal vehicles. The prolonged hot, dry windy weather increased the fire danger to an extreme level. Carlsbad Current Argus (N.M.), April 15, 2022

The Interior Department’s assistant secretary for water and science wrote to seven states in the Colorado River Basin on April 8 to request feedback on the proposal to keep 480,000 acre-feet of water in Lake Powell. She emphasized that operating the dam below 3,490 feet, the minimum power pool, has not been done. If power production ends at Glen Canyon Dam, customers such as cities, rural electric cooperatives and tribal utilities would have to turn to more expensive options for electricity. States' water managers have until April 22 to respond with feedback. Associated Press News (New York), April 12, 2022

The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District is offering farmers compensation for leaving land fallow. The land-idling program would leave more water in the river as New Mexico works to reduce its water debt to Texas. Associated Press News (New York), April 14, 2022

The Colorado Springs Fire Department enacted a burn restriction order for the city that took effect on April 15. Drought, dry fuel moisture levels and an increase in the occurrence of grass fires in undeveloped areas of the city were reasons for the restrictions. Recreational fires are banned, as is operating small-engine equipment without a properly installed, maintained and functioning spark arrestor. Outdoor smoking is prohibited in all city-owned parks and open spaces. Colorado Springs Gazette (Colo.), April 14, 2022

Stage 1 fire restrictions took effect in Fountain and unincorporated El Paso County on April 11. Open burning, the sale or use of fireworks, and smoking outdoors are all prohibited. There are additional restrictions in Fountain. The restrictions were introduced after a number of fires over the preceding weekend. Colorado Springs Gazette (Colo.), April 11, 2022

Since early March, about 100 pole top fires have occurred in San Antonio. The problem happens when rain has not fallen for a while and allowed dust and dirt to build up on insulators. The moisture eventually returns, allows the material to conduct electricity , which can spark a fire. Two such fires caused power outages on April 12. San Antonio Express News (Texas), April 12, 2022 Nearly 30 electrical poles in San Antonio caught fire on the morning of March 21. After some dry weather that allowed dust to build up on poles and lines, the area received some light rain, causing some arching and pole top fires that brought down lines or caused transformers to blow. Up to 14,000 customers were without power. KSAT-TV ABC 12 San Antonio (Texas), March 21, 2022

A Barton County farmer is waiting to fertilize and plant because the soil is too dry. Hardly any rain has fallen all winter. Brownfield Ag News (Jefferson City, Mo.), April 11, 2022

The 1,000+ farmers and ranchers getting water from the Klamath Reclamation Project will get about one-seventh the normal amount this year amid a historic drought. The water will begin to flow on April 15. Irrigators were shocked and angry, wondering if they could survive another year of meager water supplies. Salmon downstream will get about half of the usual amount of water if the reservoir was full. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced $15 million in relief for affected farmers and $5 million for Native American tribes as a result of its decision and warned farmers not to take water beyond what was ordered or risk further irrigation reductions and legal action. Inflow to the Upper Klamath Lake is at a record low, and water allocations could be reduced if drought conditions worsen this summer. Increased groundwater pumping since late summer 2021 has resulted in hundreds of domestic wells running dry. Associated Press News (New York), April 11, 2022