Local drought dries

up but tables stay low
By Scott Nicholson

It’s no surprise to gardeners who have been battling mud, but for the first time in more than two years, Watauga County is officially out of its drought.

Today’s federal drought map shows that widespread rainfall in recent weeks brought improvements throughout North Carolina, most notably in 14 mountain counties that had been the state’s only area experiencing drought.

Watauga County remains among the 53 counties on opposite ends of the state that remain abnormally dry, which means an area could return to drought without adequate rainfall.

Officials still urged caution and encouraged water conservation, since drought could return, and water tables still remain low in many areas.

“Certainly, we’re encouraged by the rainfall we’ve seen recently,” said Dee Freeman, secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. “But it’s safe to say we’re cautiously optimistic about what this means for the weeks and months ahead. There’s no reason people should not try to conserve water whenever possible.

“In the abnormally dry areas, a number of water table wells are below normal levels for this time of year. There is still the possibility that dry conditions can return, and we could have impacts from drought this summer.”

The drought of 2007-08 was the worst in North Carolina since recordkeeping began on the subject in 1895.

The drought was first designated on Feb. 13, 2007, creeping from the mountains to the coast as a lack of rainfall depleted streamflows and reservoirs to record low levels.

In recent months, above average rainfall amounts have helped move much of North Carolina from a drought.
That rainfall has created widespread improvements.

Forty-seven North Carolina counties – up from 36 counties last week – are facing normal conditions for this time of year, according to Thursday’s drought map.

Statewide, 3.94 million people, or 55 percent of the people who receive water from systems the N.C. Division of Water Resources tracks, are under mandatory or voluntary water use restrictions, including the towns of Boone and Blowing Rock.

The N.C. Drought Management Advisory Council’s weekly map is available at www.ncdrought.org.