Drought Conditions in Western North Carolina Prompt Workshop
RALEIGH - The North Carolina Drought Monitoring Council has scheduled a "Drought Preparedness Workshop" at the North Carolina Arboretum in Asheville, on Monday, September 28, 1998 for public water supply systems including approximately 35 municipalities in or near the Tennessee River Basin of Western North Carolina.
On September 11, 1998 the North Carolina Drought Monitoring Council, which includes State and Federal agencies, discussed the water resource conditions of the Tennessee River Basin. Tony Young, Chief of the Water Supply Planning Section, Division of Water Resources and Council Chairman, said "streams and rivers in the basin are experiencing low-flows that generally occur only in one year out of 10 to 20 or more years."
Counties affected include Avery, Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, Mitchell, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancy.
The Public Water Supply Section of the N.C. Division of Environmental Health reported some area systems have invoked water conservation measures: Andrews in Cherokee County (mandatory), Blowing Rock in Watauga County (mandatory), Franklin in Macon County (mandatory), Woodfin in Buncombe County (mandatory), Lansing in Ashe County (voluntary), and Marshall in Madison County (voluntary).
Al Lazo, hydrologist with the National Weather Service, reported that precipitation in the Asheville area was 15 percent below normal for the six months preceding September. He said in four months preceding September, rainfall amounts totaled only about 10 inches, which is 45 percent below normal. These rainfall deficits, Lazo said, have resulted in drought conditions.
According to Donald Buysse of the N.C. Department of Agriculture, the counties in the Tennessee River Valley are short to very short of soil moisture. No crop damage, however, has been reported in the area since most crops are at harvest.
Sethu Raman of the N.C. State Climate Office told the Council that below normal precipitation may extend into the winter months.
Registration for the day-long "Drought Preparedness Workshop" will be from 8:30 to 9:30am. Topics included in the workshop will be Water Shortage Response Program, Water Conservation, Quality of Surface Waters, Water Supply Operation and Distribution, and Emergency Management Assistance. This workshop is sponsored by the North Carolina Drought Monitoring Council and the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division ofWater Resources, Asheville Regional Office.
For more information about the workshop, contact: North Carolina Division of Water Resources, PO Box 27687, Raleigh, NC 27611 (919) 733-4064 or e-mail: drought@dwr.ehnr.state.nc.us
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Date Posted: 09/23/98