To look at our lakes and reservoirs here in Central North Carolina— it would appear the drought is over…

Water supplies like Falls Lake are brimming with water—and communities all across the Triangle are easing restrictions.

Their reasoning: We can’t save any more water than we are now—because the lakes will only hold so much…

And—it’s true in some respects that certain aspects of our drought conditions have abated….

Meteorologist Jeff Orrock at the National Weather Service’s Raleigh office told me that we’ve had enough rain to keep the top soil moist enough to end the agricultural drought—which is good news for farmers.

And the surface water supplies are pretty full— so, he says, it appears we’ve turned the corner in as far hydrological drought conditions are concerned…

But, we need to keep looking over our shoulders even as we turn the corner—-because lurking a few steps behind us is the ground water drought monster…

USGS hydrologist Jerad Bales told me our ground water hasn’t replenished much—despite all the rain…

The tip off is watching how streams react right after the rains stop..

For the first 24 hours or so—they look like this—running high and full..

But they drop off to a trickle quickly—indicating the ground is still so dry that it just sucks up the surface moisture…

Hydrologists say we’ll need close to a year of above normal rains to bring groundwater up to where it should be..

Until that happens—the drought truly isn’t over….

…And we’d best be careful and continue strict conservation measures through-out the Summer—because that nice full glass of water we’re looking at right now—will quickly turn into a nearly empty one once the weather heats up….

—Steve

Link to video & story Steve covered today on NBC-17 

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We now know how at least one North Carolina community is going to deal with the situation if the water runs out—and it’s a rather frightening.

Durham has been on the edge of running out of water from its principal drinking supplies like Lake Michie since the middle of last summer.

It’s currently gotten a bit of a reprieve recently, because the December rains have boosted its available supply leaving about about 118 days of water left at current usage levels….

But that city’s water demand has been creeping upwards lately after a small drop in consumption.

With little rainfall predicted this winter to recharge the groundwater, those who chart these things say our reservoirs and lakes could dry up much faster this year as soon as the weather gets hot.

If all of Durham’s available sources go dry they have a plan “B”.

Here’s the plan:

They shut down the water system. Period.

The only time they’ll turn it on is to fight a fire—or for some other life threatening health issue.

And what do Durham’s water customers do for drinking?

The city’s solution: Buy bottled water.

Tom Voorhees-the Deputy city manager says the city’s PRETTY confident that retail outlets will be able to keep a steady supply of bottled water on hand.

But no one’s sure.

And what do you think will happen? Will folks only buy what they need? or will they hoard?

And you can bet the price of bottled water will balloon WAY BEYOND what we currently pay…

Supply and demand, you know…

At a recent town meeting at Duke University, Voorhees was asked WHO will insure there’s enough bottled water to go around IF the city shuts off the taps.

He said that was a job for FEMA.

Does anyone remember what a great job FEMA did dealing with Hurricane Katrina?

Durham’s municipal leaders have been roundly criticized by some in days past for waiting too long to control consumption in the early days of the drought—and for acting too slowly once the situation got serious.

They assure us Durham won’t run out of water.

And no NFL team can ever have a perfect season.

—Steve

Link here to the story Steve covered today on NBC-17

You think the price of gas is expensive? You haven’t been doing your math.

So let me help.

The other day—I stopped at my local gas station to fill up—and because I was thirsty decided to grab a bottle of water.

As I gazed at the bright orange price tag—I began to do some calculations…. I was paying $1.59 for 20 ounces of water. Now there’s 128 ounces in a gallon. 20 goes into 128 exactly 6.4 times. Multiply 6.4 by 1.59 and I was paying a whopping $10.17 a GALLON for what is essentially tap water.

(In the interest of full disclosure I actually had to do the math on a piece of scrap paper I found in the car—-I’m not smart enough to do all that in my head)

It’s no secret we’re in a drought here in North Carolina…And right here on this blog, I posted an updated list of water conservation tips culled from various sources.

One of those tips advised folks to drink more bottled water—to save our local water supplies.

But, I never stopped to think of the cost.

$10.17   A   GALLON !!!

It’s yet another hidden cost of the drought—a drought that many of our municipal leaders were slow in reacting to.

There’s no sense in railing about that issue any more—-because—like water that’s evaporated—we can’t change what happened…

BUT, we can change what WILL happen.

Municipal leaders have to change the way they react to future droughts. They have to enact wiser water use policies—and do more to insure there are permanent conservation measures in place.

Some communities are beginning to see that’s what needs be done—and they are moving in that direction. But, we need to be doing it all across the state—because groundwater doesn’t respect municipal boundries.

We must all realize—water is a finite resource…

Of course— there is ONE upside to the cost of bottled water.

At the price I’m paying right now—it makes 3-dollar-a-gallon gas look like a bargain!

—Steve

Link hereto the story Steve covered today on NBC-17

Pet peeves and other things that are the burr under the saddle of life…..

CONSERVATION CONUNDRUM

It seemed like it took years to get the kids to to flush the toilet each time they used the bathroom.. . I can’t count the numbers of times I found the toilets unflushed in the house… After what seemed like a dozen years of ranting—I finally got them to flush each time they used the facilities.

SUCCESS !

NOW comes the drought—and I’m still screaming at them.. This time—it’s to get them NOT to flush the toilet UNLESS it’s necessary. I can’t tell if it’s just habit that’s making them flush every time now—or that they’re at the age where they just want to be contrary.

In any case—my new age parenting friends say I’m probably setting up a severe sets of conflicts in their minds—and years from now—they’ll be sitting in a psychiatrists’ office trying work out the angst resulting from the FLUSH–NO-DON’T FLUSH messages they received as kids…

OH NO, YOU DIDN’T…

Here’s another one of those things that frosts my cupcakes…People citing the 1st Annual this or the 1st Annual that! It’s especially prevalent among my fellow broadcasters—many of whom OUGHT to know better !It can’t be annual UNTIL it’s happened more than once… the first time is the INAUGURAL !!

This is my 37th annual complaint about that particular mis-use of our language!

HEY, USE A KLEENEX, I DON’T WANNA CATCH YOUR FATNESS…

I always thought my middle-aged spread was my fault because I was eating too much and not exercising enough. Now—come to find out—I have no responsibility in this whatsoever. I have a DISEASE ! This study linked here cites research that indicates you can catch being fat!

Yep—the same virus that gives us pink-eye, diarrhea, and the common cold can make us uncommonly chubby they say..

So, if being fat is a disease—I’m ready to start treating it like one. I’ll begin by taking a sick day… “Hello Boss—I’m not coming in today. I’m felling a little fat.”

Of course—this fat virus creates a few new problems too.

How fat do you have to be to be considered sick? A pound overweight? Ten? And what if they come up with a vaccine? Do they not give you sick days if you come down with “fat-itis” after you’ve refused to get the anti-fat shot?

As the scientists say—this requires more research.

Let me get back to you after I’ve had a cup of coffee and a couple of slices of cake.

—Steve

Link here to the story Steve covered today on NBC-17

On Friday, we asked our readers to offer some suggestions about what they would do about the drought situation that we are in… And—you responded…

And, as promised—we’re presenting them here…

Reader Peter Raabe had a very detailed analysis of what he thought needed to occur:

The Triangle’s and all of the Southeast’s water woes are well known now. But the question is what to do about the problem. We need more rain, but until that happens our water needs to be treated like gold not a waste product. We need to make sure there is enough water for our communities to thrive.

I have lived in the south most of my life, but moved into the Triangle this summer to set up an office in Durham for American Rivers (www.AmericanRivers.org). And millions of other people are expected to flock to this part of the country in the coming years. Where’s the water for all of us- newbies and mainstays- going to come from? We will not be able to build our way out of this. Unfortunately, there is no silver bullet to this problem. It will take a multi-faceted plan that values fresh water for the resource it is.

Cities around the nation have learned that water efficiency is a cheap, dependable way to make sure they have enough water for years to come. According to the American Water Works Association, making our homes water smart with efficient fixtures and appliances can decrease water use by 35 percent. We all look for the EnergyStar logo when we want to save money on energy; there is also the WaterSense program for water savings. It’s the same concept as EnergyStar but for water, and products are already available on retailers’ shelves. Add in outdoor water use efficiency and the savings can be enormous since that accounts for more than 50% of household water use. Our thinking needs to change, we need to use beautiful drought-resistant plants, and install efficient watering systems. And do simple things like making sure we are watering our plants, not our sidewalks. The same indoor and outdoor water gains can also be made in the commercial buildings and corporate campuses throughout the RTP.

There are lots of intelligent, hard working folks that are working on the solutions to this problem. And we look forward to being part of the team of communities, watershed groups, utilities, businesses, and government officials that will develop a smart water strategy that encourages economic growth and community health.

 

Reader ATW offers this suggestion:

There should be some kind of daily reminder about the drought on your blog. Maybe you could list the number of days without rain, or show how much water is still needed to end the drought. That might help remind people that the drought is still here even in the cool weather.

Suggestion taken. But, rather than trying to make this a daily drought blog—I’ll try adding the information to the sidebar. I’ve linked with the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources Drought Monitor website.

To check on current drought conditions, click on the little orange icon next to the title. That’ll take you directly to the drought page—which is updated weekly.

Another reader—who posted as Anonymous chided me for what I believe have been my numerous drought posts:

You’ve got a lot to say about the drought, but like so many media people, you don’t have anything positive to offer to help people. You would rather criticize others actions while doing nothing yourself.

 

OK. I’ll step up and give it a try. Starting this week, the sidebar will also contain a drought conservation tid-bit. I’ll try and update it often—but I can’t promise that it’ll be daily, weekly or on a specific schedule.

(And–whoever you are–if you’d like to offer a tip or two—I’d be glad to post those in the sidebar too! And no—you still won’t have to use your name!)

..And finally, this whimsical suggestion from reader EssTee who obviously doesn’t live in the South…

Here’s an idea: move North Carolina to the NorthEast. We’ve had enough rain in the past 2 months to drown a stable of Clydesdales.

Been there—done that (Northeast thing.) And no thanks. I’m very happy here in the Southeast these days.
But, please keep reading—’cause I need the job!

—Steve