Despite heavy rains that helped raise groundwater levels, state officials are still watching rain count, citing deeper drought issues. Charles Sowell/Staff

County still ponders drought status here

by Charles Sowell

The rains this spring that broke a decade-long drought also produced a $1.3 million drop in revenues from what was projected by Greenville Water System budgeters, said Lynn Stovall, general manager for the system.

“When you go back and look at the figures (that were reported in June) for March, April and May you see that is when we were getting the most rain,” Stovall told the water system’s board this week. “People were using less water and (thus) our revenues were down.”

Stovall also said the system’s water conservation program has helped reduce usage.

“Last year in June our maximum daily usage was about 100 million gallons,” he said. “This June it was around 76 million. Much of that drop could be attributed to our voluntary conservation efforts.”

Those continuing voluntary efforts could work out to be a good thing as the Upstate is currently listed as abnormally dry by the U.S. Drought Monitor after a wetter than normal winter and spring.

Abnormally dry conditions, by the Drought Monitor’s standards, means the region could easily slip into another drought if things don’t improve and no improvement is predicted.

Groundwater supplies are still low, but surface supplies are adequate for the moment, said Denis Chastain, a member of the state’s Drought Response Committee.

 Stovall said the water system’s monitoring stations recorded 30 inches of rain at Table Rock Reservoir last year and 39 inches this year; at North Saluda there were 23 inches last year and 31 this year; and at Keowee 24 inches of rain were reported last year and 33 this year.

No one is predicting a drought, Chastain said, but state officials are monitoring the situation.

“Predicting the weather is a little bit like witchcraft (beyond five or six days),” Chastain said. “But there is an El Nino event ongoing off the (Pacific) coast (of South America) and that can have an effect that’s just as bad as the La Nina event that just ended late last year.”

It is very unusual to have La Nina and El Nino events dovetailing so tightly, Chastain said.

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center is forecasting the El Nino will strengthen at least through the early part of 2010.

“The El Nino affects our weather in much the same way that a La Nina does,” Chastain said. “Both systems deflect the normal wind patterns sending rain North of the Southeast.”

La Nina is a tropical Pacific cold water pattern and El Nino is a warm water pattern. Despite the fact they are centered in the tropical Pacific Ocean they force subtle changes in wind patters.

“That’s really hard for many folks to understand,” Chastain said. “But the results are undeniable.”

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