Drought

Rain and the Jan. 3 snowstorm allowed officials in Danville and Pittsylvania County to lift burn bans that have been in effect since Nov. 30. Go Dan River (Danville, Va.), Jan 5, 2022 Open burn bans were in effect for Amherst County, Carroll County, Charlotte County, Danville, Halifax County, Henry County and Pittsylvania County. The burn bans began between Nov. 30 and Dec. 3 and will end when conditions improve. WSLS-TV NBC Channel 10 (Roanoke, Va.), Dec 3, 2021

A water shortage in the Colorado River Basin was announced by the Bureau of Reclamation on Aug. 16 as Lake Mead fell to record low levels. Arizona, Nevada and Mexico will receive less water in 2022, with Arizona farmers seeing the biggest cut in water deliveries as the state gets 18% less of its share of river water. Nevada will lose 7%, while Mexico will get about 5% less. Associated Press News (New York), Aug 16, 2021

The Hyatt Powerplant at Lake Oroville began generating hydropower again after shutting down in early August for lack of water. On Jan. 3, the water level was 716 feet, or 39% of capacity, considerably higher than the 640 feet when the plant closed, which had not happened since it began operating in the late 1960s. The plant was not yet operating at full capacity as water was being conserved for use in the spring and summer. Water was being released at 900 cubic feet per second and was producing 30 megawatts of electricity, although the plant’s maximum capacity is 750 megawatts. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.), Jan 4, 2022 The power plant at Lake Oroville stopped generating electricity on Aug. 5 as the lake reached a new low and was at 24% of capacity. The Edward Hyatt power plant is one of the largest hydroelectric plants in the state and can provide roughly 1% of the state’s peak electricity demand. The Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.), Aug 5, 2021

Californians conserved just 6.8% of their water use in November 2021, compared to November 2020, considerably below the 15% Gov. Newsom requested. Since July, urban water consumption fell by just 6%. In light of the need for more water conservation, the State Water Resources Control Board passed new conservation regulations intended to help curb wasteful outdoor water use. The emergency regulations would be in effect for one year and would allow the violator to be fined up to $500. While the timing of the new regulations might seem odd, given the recent heavy precipitation, California cannot count on the storms continuing as the precipitation outlook for the next three months was drier than average. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.), Jan 4, 2022

Custer, Caddo and Dewey counties’ boards of commissioners adopted burn bans due to the warm, dry weather, recent fires and extreme fire danger. Fines for violating the ban range from $1,000 to imprisonment for a year or both. KOCO-TV ABC 5 Oklahoma City (Okla.), Dec 27, 2021

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to prepare wildfire response resources prior to critical wildfire danger in the Texas Panhandle, South Plains and West Texas through Sunday, Dec. 26. Strong winds are expected, and fuels are dry to critically dry. FOX 7 Austin (Texas), Dec 22, 2022

Arizona’s 900+ Pinal County farmers will receive less water in 2022. To compensate for getting less Colorado River water, irrigation districts were using state funds to drill new wells, but growers will still have to fallow land. Forty million dollars has been provided by the state to drill new wells. Growers from west of Phoenix to the Tucson area will lose water, but Pinal County farmers will fare worst as 30% to 40% of the farmland in Pinal County is expected to be fallowed. Dairy farmers will be affected by the reduction in water supplies and will produce less milk. More fallowed land means more particulate dust in the air, which is already a problem. AZ Central (Phoenix, Ariz.), Jan 3, 2022

The wind-driven Marshall Fire in Boulder County began from an unknown source on Dec. 30, incinerated at least 991 homes and other structures and left three people unaccounted for. Of the lost structures, the tentative count is 553 in Louisville, 332 in Superior and 106 in unincorporated parts of the county. The blaze charred at least 9.4 square miles. A winter storm dropped eight inches of snow on the smoldering scene. The fall and winter were extremely dry, increasing the fire risk when high winds spread flames through the area of parched grass and vegetation. Most of the county was in severe and extreme drought. Associated Press News (New York), Jan 1, 2022

A burn ban took effect in Garvin County on Dec. 13 and was renewed for another week. Ten other counties, including Alfalfa, Blaine, Carter, Cimarron, Dewey, Jefferson, Major, Stephens, Texas and Woodward, also have burn bans. Pauls Valley Democrat (Okla.), Dec 22, 2021

Grady County Commissioners passed a countywide burn ban on Dec. 27, due to the elevated fire danger and will reevaluated weekly. Chickasha Daily Express (Okla.), Dec 27, 2021

In July 2021, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife predicted that “nearly all” of the endangered Chinook salmon juvenile population would likely die from warm water in the Sacramento River in 2021. The prediction came true. An estimated 2.6% of the winter-run Chinook salmon juvenile population were able to survive the warm water temperatures, according to the CDFW. Another factor was at play regarding the young fish. Many were deficient in thiamine, or vitamin B1, due to adult salmon binging on anchovies, causing a breakdown in thiamine levels, which was passed along to the juveniles. Environmentalists charge that the massive fish kill was caused by mismanagement of the river last spring when the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation sent hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water from Shasta Lake to farmers with special water rights. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.), Jan 3, 2022 Only 2% of winter-run Chinook juvenile salmon likely survived the summer, due to high water temperatures which led to massive fish kills in the Sacramento River, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Not even during previous years of drought have so many juvenile salmon died, raising the specter of permanent collapse of the endangered species. An estimated 75% of winter-run Chinook eggs died from heat this summer on the upper Sacramento River. Experts think that nearly all the remaining salmon that did hatch soon died from a combination of low river flows and natural or human-caused mortality. Courthouse News Service (Pasadena, Calif.), Nov 4, 2021 Drought is heating up the Sacramento River to the point that nearly all endangered winter-run Chinook salmon could perish this fall, warned officials from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The salmon typically have a 3-year life cycle, so the deaths of nearly all of one year’s run of young “greatly increases the risk of extinction for the species,” according to a lawyer with the Natural Resources Defense Council. California’s last drought also caused two years of severe mortality among winter-run salmon. The pool of cool water in Shasta Lake has been depleted as the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation released water for farmers. The Sacramento Bee (Calif.), July 8, 2021

Winter snowfall is off to a slow start in Colorado with the snowpack ranging from 36% to 78% as drought gripped Colorado. Ski resorts were trying to open, but the lack of snow made that a challenge. Some resorts opened with only a few runs in use. The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel (Colo.), Nov 30, 2021

Low lake levels are a concern in Monroe where less than an inch of rain has fallen in recent weeks. Their three lakes contain enough water to sustain the community for 300 days. WCNC-TV NBC 6 Charlotte (N.C.), Dec 1, 2021

The City of San José declared a 15 percent water shortage and limited the use of sprinkler systems using potable water to two days per week. The restriction applies to all residents and businesses regardless of water provider. City of San Jose, Calif., Dec 1, 2021

Drought has weakened some of Nevada's trees, making them more vulnerable to bark beetles. Hundreds of Jeffrey Pines in the Galena area have succumbed to the beetles. A 40-acres stand of beetle-infested trees in the Galena part of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest will be removed in coming weeks. Reno Gazette Journal (Nev.), Dec 27, 2021

Warm weather and strong winds drove a Montana wildfire through a small town of Denton, consuming 24 homes and four century-old grain elevators. Twenty square miles of drought-stricken prairie and agricultural land burned also. Associated Press News (New York), Dec 2, 2021

Warm temperatures through late fall into winter, coupled with dry weather, has increased the fire danger in South Carolina. The public was warned to be particularly careful if they burn materials outdoors over the weekend. Above normal wildfire potential was present in the coastal areas of Georgia and North Carolina, too, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Associated Press News (New York), Dec 3, 2021

Recent dry weather contributed to the spread of two brush fires the New River Gorge National Park and Page, W.V. WVNS-TV Channel 59 Bluefield (Ghent, W.V.), Dec 3, 2021

An open burn ban was if effect for Charlotte County from Dec. 14 through Jan. 14, 2022. WSLS-TV NBC Channel 10 (Roanoke, Va.), Dec 3, 2021

A May frost and drought persisting through the growing season and into the winter slashed hay production in Montana’s Gallatin Valley. Supplies for baling hay, fertilizer and heavy machinery, too, were subject to shortages. Snow is lacking also when it ought to be waist-high, so some moisture ahead of the next growing season would be helpful. KBZK-TV Bozeman 7 (Mont.), Dec 1, 2021