The southeastern United States is in the midst of a record drought - some call it a 100-year drought. While it's true that rainfall in the last few years has been lower than average, the reasons for the severity of the drought are varied - some blame nature, and others blame too much growth and mismanagement of our current water supply. It looks like little relief is in sight, due to predicted low winter rainfall because of La Nina conditions.
How do we decide whether we are in a drought? A group of experts froma variety of agencies look at the following factors:
*groundwater levels,
*streamflows,
*reservoir levels,
*rainfall in the past 3, 6, and 9 months,
*expected rainfall in the next 90 days, and
*water use patterns across the state.
There are a variety of simple changes you can make around your house to help conserve water. A simple one is not letting the water run while you are brushing your teeth. For more ideas, click here. What are some things you might try?
