Drought

Many Nebraska state recreation areas and some wildlife management areas have temporarily banned campfires until further notice due to drought conditions and extreme fire danger. The affected state recreation and wildlife management areas include Medicine Creek, Red Willow, Swanson, Enders, Sutherland, Buffalo Bill, Lake McConaughy, Lake Ogallala, Lake Minatare, Wildcat Hills, Sherman and Victoria Springs state recreation areas and Ash Hollow State Historical Park. A temporary burn ban already is in place at Calamus state recreation area. Hunters participating in the April 9 youth shotgun opener were urged to avoid open fires for camping or cooking. Nebraskaland (Lincoln, Neb.), April 8, 2022

A wildfire in Gosper and Furnas counties was sparked when a dead tree fell onto power lines amid extremely high winds. Nearly 30,000 acres of land burned and firefighters were establishing a perimeter on the evening of April 8. The blaze damaged eight structures and 48 outbuildings. The area is in severe drought. KLKN-TV 8 Lincoln/Hastings/Kearney (Neb.), April 8, 2022

The absence of rain since October 2021 means that grass was dry in early April 2022 when it ought to be tall, lush and growing. Cattle prefer green grass. Amid drought, cattle production drops off. Cattle will eat hay, but it is not as nutritious as green grass. The lack of rain also affects the economies of small towns when farmers and ranchers are not spending as much. KRISTV NBC 6 Corpus Christi (Corpus Christi, Texas), April 6, 2022

After two dry years in northeastern Wyoming, farmers are weary, but ongoing drought and high prices for hay, feed and diesel continue to test them. Surface water supplies are scarce, and cattle grazed winter range nearly to the dirt as ranchers were reluctant to buy too much hay at exorbitant prices. It’s the same situation from Campbell County west to Johnson and Sheridan counties and into Montana. If rain does not fall to promote grass growth, producers will have to make hard decisions about what to do with their hungry livestock. A lot of Campbell County ranchers took out loans to buy hay in fall 2021. Cowboy State Daily (Lander, Wyo.), April 6, 2022

A burn ban took effect in Pottawattamie County on April 6 due to dry conditions, dead vegetation and strong winds in upcoming days. The ban will remain through planting season or until sufficient rain falls to lower the fire danger. KMA Land (Shenandoah, Iowa), April 5, 2022

The Visalia City Council authorized Stage 2 of the city’s Water Conservation Ordinance. Residents may only use sprinkler systems twice per week from March through November. Visalia Times Delta (Calif.), April 5, 2022

Three hundred three residents in Glenn County reported groundwater supply issues, and 191 reported that they had a dry well in 2021. Since the start of 2022, eight residents reported groundwater supply issues and six reported a dry well. To assist people with dry wells, the City of Orland municipal water system, partnering with the Department of Water Resources, was aiming to connect county residents. KRCR-TV ABC 7 (Redding, Calif.), March 28, 2022 Water was given away at the Orland Fire Department as wells continued to run dry and more people needed water. The deputy director for the Glenn County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services stated that 75 homes were without water. KHSL CBS 12 (Chico, Calif.), July 15, 2021

The Boise River basin water supply is well below normal, prompting the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to alert the public that the recreation season on Lucky Peak Reservoir may likely be shortened. The flows from Lucky Peak Dam will remain at the minimum of 220 cubic feet per second to conserve as much as possible before irrigation season, which will begin later in April. Farmers, anticipating less water, are expected to plant crops with lower water needs, according to a Bureau of Reclamation employee. There will probably be a lot less corn and beets grown this year. KTVB-TV NBC 7 (Boise, Idaho), April 6, 2022

NorthWestern Energy is limiting releases from Hebgen Dam from April 4 through April 24 to keep more water in the reservoir in preparation for low water in the Madison River Basin. Persistent drought, low soil moisture and low snowpack were the reasons for conserving water. The Billings Gazette (Mont.), April 4, 2022

Bell County Water Control and Improvement District No. 3 in Nolanville urged resident to voluntarily conserve water as the area was in drought. Killeen Daily Herald (Texas), April 1, 2022

Sonoma Valley is changing to a more arid climate, which could lead to a landscape more like that of a savanna more than a forest, according to a professor at the UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management. There is no longer enough sustained moisture to allow oaks and other large trees that burned to regrow. The rainy season starts one month later now than it did in the 1960s, per one study. Sonoma Index-Tribune (Calif.), April 6, 2022

Tough water restrictions were enacted for the Weber Basin Water Conservancy District after early spring heat melted the snowpack from 80% of normal to just 65% of normal in a matter of days in late March. Water deliveries to secondary water systems for outdoor use were cut by 60%; culinary water deliveries were trimmed by 10%; and water for agricultural use was reduced by 40%. The activation of the secondary water system will be delayed by one month. In a normal spring, 220,000 acre-feet of runoff comes down the mountains to be stored, but this year, the amount is projected to be about 10,000 acre-feet. This is the third straight year of very low amounts of less than 10%. Reservoirs will not likely fill. The district is the wholesale water supplier for Weber, Davis, Morgan, Summit and parts of Box Elder County. KSL.com (Salt Lake City, Utah), April 4, 2022 Weber Basin Water Conservancy District water customers are being warned to expect another year of drought with reduced lawn watering. The activation of their secondary water system is being delayed. Instead of turning it on in April, it will be turned on in May. KSL News Radio 102.7FM (Salt Lake City, Utah), March 8, 2022

The snowpack in southwestern Idaho was two-thirds or less of normal. If spring does not bring ample moisture, reservoirs may not refill. Some farmers have already been warned that they may receive just one-third of the usual amount of water, or about 1.2 acre-feet. They have also been told that the irrigation season will be cut short. Instead of getting water from April 15 through Oct. 15, the water may end on Aug. 1. The warning allows farmers to quickly change their crop plans to plant something that can mature and produce a crop in a shorter growing season. Some land will also be left idle. KBOI-TV (Boise, Idaho), April 5, 2022

The Bisbee Fire Department banned outdoor fires due to drought and dangerous fuel buildup in the the area around the historic town. All outdoor camping fires and trash burning are prohibited. Herald Review (Sierra Vista, Ariz.), April 5, 2022

Lee County commissioners declared a local state of emergency due to the dry weather and also enacted a 30-day burn ban. FOX4Now (Cape Coral, Fla.), April 5, 2022

Charlotte County commissioners unanimously approved a burn ban on April 5. The ban will remain in effect until further notice. FOX4Now (Cape Coral, Fla.), April 5, 2022

Extreme heat and drought reduced potato yields by almost 10% in Idaho and Washington, states that typically produce an abundance of spuds. Good weather in Maine upped potato yields by more than 30% so there was a glut of potatoes to ship by rail to Idaho, which received seed potatoes, and to processors in Washington state to be made into French fries and other products. Associated Press News (New York), April 2, 2022

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has not yet revealed how much water will be delivered to farmers in the Klamath Irrigation District, but farmers are adamant that they want water. Of the 377 farmers who voted at a recent March 29, 2022 meeting, 319 voted ‘yes’ to the ballot question: “Pursuant to both our federal contract obligations and state water rights, do you want the district to attempt to deliver you water knowing it will likely complicate federal drought funding?” Last year was the first year that the federally managed Klamath Project provided no water to local irrigators in the Klamath Basin in southern Oregon and northern California. Farmers received millions in drought relief in 2021 in lieu of water, but drought relief funds only replace a small fraction of the profit farmers could have had. Jefferson Public Radio (Ashland, Ore.), April 4, 2022

The Kings County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on April 1 to declare a local emergency due to drought. Hanford Sentinel (Calif.), April 4, 2022

Feedlot owners put a record number of cattle on feed in February as producers faced dry conditions and processors were working steadily. The number of cattle in large feedlots was nearly 12.2 million, 1.4% higher than one year ago and the highest March 1 inventory since USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service began the reporting series in 1996. Some of the factors involved in the high placements are the dry conditions in the Southern and Central Plains where cattle have been moved into feedlots in January and February and possibly cattle from up north where feed resources are tight. Capital Press (Salem, Ore.), March 29, 2022