Drought

The Lewis & Clark Regional Water System in Tea has produced record amounts of water for the systems it serves, which include 15 members in South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa and the city of Sioux Falls. The system produced 32 million gallons one day and averaged roughly 28 million gallons daily in June. KELOLAND-TV CBS 11 (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Aug 19, 2021

The Tehama Board of Supervisors was aware that wells were running dry in the county. Red Bluff Daily News (Calif.), Aug 13, 2021

St. Paul residents may only water outdoors on an even-odd schedule as St. Paul Regional Water Services enacted outdoor watering restrictions as drought worsened. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources moved the regional water provider to a restrictive drought phase on Aug. 17 as the flow of the Mississippi River near Anoka fell to 1,500 cubic feet per second or less for five consecutive days. Minneapolis Star Tribune (Minn.), Aug 17, 2021

At Lake Minnetonka, people were removing their boats early, but cannot get them off of the lift. Many rivers and streams in northern and western Minnesota were increasingly parched amid drought, reaching “low flow,” which is less than 10% of normal flow. WCCO CBS Minnesota (Minneapolis), Aug 19, 2021

Harrisonburg residents were urged to conserve water, but mandatory restrictions were not yet needed. WHSV-TV (Harrisonburg, Va.) Aug 13, 2021

The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California issued a water supply alert signaling that conservation is needed as drought continues. The last time an official supply alert was issued was in 2014. MWD serves 19 million people in six counties in Southern California, including the Los Angeles area. The MWD’s reservoirs containing imported Colorado River water and State Water Project water were nearing historically low levels. Los Angeles Times (Calif.), Aug 17, 2021

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife asked anglers to fish in the early part of the day and finish by noon so as not to stress fish during the hottest part of the day when the water is warm and oxygen levels are lower. Sonoma Index-Tribune (Calif.), Aug 12, 2021

Drought is causing home and building foundations to crack in North Dakota. The Jamestown Sun (N.D.), Aug 15, 2021

Drought drastically reduced the number of mosquitoes found in Grand Forks Public Health Department's traps, averaging nine mosquitoes. The West Nile virus, however, thrives in culex tarsalis mosquitoes, a species that does well in hotter, drier conditions, so the virus is still a concern. Grand Forks Herald (N.D.), Aug 13, 2021

Western U.S. governors sent a letter to President Biden on Sunday, Aug 15, requesting a federal disaster declaration. Signing onto the letter were the governors of Utah, Oregon, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota and Washington. In addition to the hardships of drought, many western states were also battling wildfires. The Center Square (Chicago, Ill.), Aug 16, 2021

Many of Minnesota’s streams were low like during the 1988 drought or even the Dust Bowl years as the state Department of Natural Resources categorized much of the state as being in a “restricted phase” as drought continued to worsen. Water use must be limited to no more than 25% above water use in January. The new DNR restrictions take effect for about 300 towns within the Mississippi River Headwaters, Rainy River and Red River watersheds. The area encompasses Minneapolis and St. Paul, most of central Minnesota and much of the northern part of the state. Minneapolis Star Tribune (Minn.), Aug 18, 2021

As wetlands and ponds dry up in East Bay Regional Parks, many of the native plants and trees were also dying, making the parks less habitable to wildlife. More animals, such as deer, coyotes, wild turkeys, skunks and raccoons were venturing into people’s yards, looking for food and water. EBRPD officials intend to increase water capacity in all parks by expanding existing ponds and restoring natural streams to provide better habitat for wildlife during the drought. KPIX CBS San Francisco (Calif.), Aug 13, 2021

Central Indiana has set a new historical low for rainfall with records dating back to 1871 as little rain has fallen since July 18, although conditions were much wetter prior to mid-July. In Westfield, Grand Park has begun consolidating their ponds and irrigating its sports fields, but has enough for the next month. WXIN-TV FOX59 (Indianapolis, Ind.), Aug 19, 2021

More than 1 million acres burned in wildfires in Washington and Oregon by Aug. 15, compared with about 52,500 acres by the same time in 2020, according to the Northwest Interagency Coordination Center. Drought allowed the fire season to get a head start this year. KING-TV NBC 5 (Seattle, Wash.), Aug 16, 2021

As reservoirs and other water sources become depleted amid drought, California fire fighters look to alternative water supplies, such as people’s swimming pools or tanks of water on private property when they really need water. Cal Fire replaces the water later once the fire is under control. CBS Sacramento (Calif.), Aug 19, 2021

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources expanded burning restrictions in northern and central Minnesota effective Aug. 17 as drought worsens and the fire danger rises. The expanded restrictions include the eastern portion of Roseau County and all of Aitkin, Becker, Beltrami, Benton, Carlton, Cass, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake of the Woods, Mahnomen, Morrison, Stearns, St. Louis, Todd and Wadena counties. There are additional restrictions for 11 of the previous counties (Becker, Beltrami, Cass, Clearwater, Crow Wing, Hubbard, Itasca, Koochiching, Mahnomen and the northern portion of St. Louis and Wadena counties, excluding tribal trust lands) and three additional counties--Cook, Lake and Otter Tail. KARE-TV NBC 11 (Minneapolis, Minn.), Aug 16, 2021

The Greenwood Fire burned 4,200 acres and continued to expand since the blaze began on Aug. 15, likely from a lightning strike, prompting Lake County officials to declare a state of emergency on Aug. 19. Grand Forks Herald (N.D.), Aug 19, 2021

A Waite Park well drilling business was extremely busy servicing wells and drilling new wells as pumps or irrigation systems suffer from overuse. CBS Minnesota (Minneapolis), Aug 16, 2021

The City of Folsom announced on Aug. 16 that residents must curb water use by 20% as of Aug. 30. Folsom gets its water from the American River at Folsom Lake, which is lower than it was during the 2014-15 drought. This is also the second driest year since 1977. In June, Folsom officials requested that residents voluntarily lower their water use by 10%. KCRA-TV NBC 3 Sacramento (Calif.), Aug 17, 2021

The Bureau of Land Management manages the wild horse population in the West and intended to gather around 6,000 horses, largely in Nevada, Oregon, Wyoming and Colorado by October, rounding up 50% more horses than in 2020. Meager precipitation allowed little vegetation to grow this spring and summer for the animals to eat. Animal advocates want the horses left on the range and given fertility treatments to limit herd size, but fertility treatments must be readministered annually. Cattle ranchers were voluntarily reducing grazing on federal land and were hauling water to livestock, which also benefits the horses. Associated Press News (New York), Aug 18, 2021 The Bureau of Land Management plans to round up 50% more horses in 2021, due to intense drought. Recent emergency roundups were focused on horses in Nevada, Oregon and Colorado where “chronic overpopulation” has exhausted food and water supplies. Associated Press News (New York), Aug 3, 2021