Monday, November 27, 2000
Drought isn't over
By Anna M. Tinsley
Scripps Howard Austin Bureau
AUSTIN — The drought isn’t over
in Texas.
That’s what state officials say even
though recent rains have brought welcome relief to some communities
struggling with diminishing water supplies. Those rains and cooler
temperatures have dented the drought but haven’t come close
to ending it, they say.
“The problem is that drought is a silent
disaster,’’ said Don Rogers, public information officer
for the state’s Division of Emergency Management.
“People see a little bit of rain and
think the drought is over. They don’t realize the water levels
have dropped so drastically ... that it’s almost going to
take a catastrophic event like a tropical storm to bring them
up to norm.’’
Texas is in its fourth drought in five years.
Earlier this year, reservoir levels hit
an all-time low statewide. In addition, more than 100 communities
rationed water, scores of counties were under outdoor burning
bans and more than half the state’s 254 counties received
drought disaster declarations.
Some farmers and ranchers quit the business
after the state’s economy was hit with $1.1 billion in losses
from crop damage and lack of harvests. Some hope recent rains
will help next year’s crops.
Still, reservoirs that remain at one of
their lowest points in recent years need to be replenished.
Texas’ reservoirs are at 75 percent
of capacity, below the historical November average of 81.8 percent,
according to the Texas Water Development Board. More than 200
community water systems are still limiting water use to avoid
shortages, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission
said.
But there’s good news: The Climate
Prediction Center predicts above-normal precipitation for most
of the state through March.
And there’s bad news: That’s not
enough rain, said Leonard Olson, a spokesman for the water development
board.
He said that’s due partly to projections
that the state’s population will double by 2050, which could
mean a 35-percent water shortage statewide.
“We don’t want to be doom and
gloom, but we still can’t say we are out of the drought,’’
Olson said. “We’ve been so far behind that it’s
going to take a little more than (normal) to do the job we need
done.
“This (recent rain) is a little reprieve.
But we can’t forget the conditions we were in.’’
Another 6-9 inches of rain is needed to
replenish surface and underground reservoirs, according to a statewide
drought report released by the Drought Preparedness Council this
month.
The council is made up of officials from
state agencies that work to control the effects of drought and
fire. Its report said dramatic improvement in the state’s
moisture situation may not come until the spring. That particular
season should determine whether the drought continues, the report
said.
In the meantime, a 1997 law passed requires
a statewide water conservation plan to be put in place by Jan.
5, 2002.
Officials serving on Texas’ 16 regional
planning groups must submit their community’s final water
plans to the water development board by Jan. 5, 2001, Olson said.
Then the board has until the Jan. 5 deadline to incorporate that
information into a statewide water plan and submit it to lawmakers.
Contact Austin Bureau writer Anna M. Tinsley
at (512) 478-9644 or tinsleya@scripps.com. Check out our Web site
at www.reporternews.com
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