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Tag: Extreme drought

  • Tumbleweed Storm Threatens Drought-Stricken Colorado

    Tumbleweeds are on the roll, literally, where in the plains of Colorado, they’re blocking rural roads and irrigation canals and briefly barricading homes and even an elementary school, according the Associated Press.

    It’s all brought on by “moderate to exceptional” drought conditions, the classification according to the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. According to that organization, 61 percent of the state is in some level of classification concerning drought conditions. Of that 61 percent, eight percent is in “severe” drought conditions, four percent “extreme,” and one-and-a-half percent in “exceptional” drought conditions.

    Firefighters even had to cut through a path of tumbleweeds to free a pregnant woman from her house, who feared she might go into labor.

    Tumbleweeds, a classic staple of Western films and symbol of a desolate landscape, were first introduced to the country by Ukranian farmers. Its real name is the Russian thistle and it grows in dry fields, on plains, and by the side of roads, usually in grain-growing areas. At its full height, it reaches three feet and at maturity it breaks off at the base, tumbling in the wind, scattering seeds to give rise to more tumbleweeds.

    A price tag comes with them as well.

    Crowley County in southern Colorado has spent $108,000 since November clearing roads and bridges of tumbleweeds. That’s more than a third of its annual budget, according to the Associated Press.

    The county that includes Colorado Springs, El Paso County, has spent $209,000.

    “Try pushing them with heavy equipment and they just roll on you, fly over the top,” Alf Randall, the county’s acting public works director, told the Associated Press. “The frustrating part is once you get the first wave beat down, packed down and out of the road, the wind comes up and here comes the next batch.”

    Given the cost, officials have tried to come up with alternative methods of dealing with the tumbleweeds, including snow-blowers and rotary attachments on tractors.

    More work is in store, and for Tobe Allumbaugh, County Commission Chairman, the idea that tumbleweeds are harmless bits of Western lore is not amusing in the least.

    “What we have is not funny,” he said.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Lake Mead Drying Up, Las Vegas Could Be At Risk

    If you were to take a boat and start floating across Lake Mead, you might notice that some parts of the surrounding rocks were considerably whiter than others. The horizontal ivory colored rock face might even seem pretty until you realize what they represent—Water that isn’t there anymore.

    Lake Mead is shrinking. This isn’t just any lake that’s getting smaller: This specific lake was created by the Hoover Dam in 1935. It provides water to millions of people across the states of Nevada, Arizona and California.

    Satellite photos show that the Colorado River, which feeds Lake Mead is drying up. It strongly suggests that if the pattern of weather continues and the river is not replenished, Lake Mead could possibly go bone dry in the future.

    Such a reality could have major consequences on the populations that rely on Lake Mead for water. Especially the city of Las Vegas, Nevada. A whopping ninety percent of the city’s water supply comes from the lake. Losing that much water due to the loss of Lake Mead would be disastrous.

    The city is taking action in order to try and avoid any major consequences. Las Vegas officials approved a new intake pipe which will be complete in 2015 and cost $817 million.

    J.C. Davis, the project’s spokesperson says of the major undertaking, “We’re really scrambling to make sure that this intake is done in time.”

    There’s no telling what measures other populations will be forced to take as the lake continues to shrink. Lake Mead’s water levels are expected to drop another twenty feet this year. The lake already lost 4 trillion gallons of water over the past fourteen years and the situation is critical.

    Davis notes that, “without Lake Mead, there would be no Las Vegas.” Without a major water supply or an end to the drought, there may not be a lot of things if a viable solution isn’t found.

    California is dealing with a major drought situation and it has been suggested that the region may be experiencing a megadrought.

    It’s hoped that some relief may be coming to the region soon in the form of rain. Whether or not it will be enough remains to be seen.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • California Drought – The Looming Water Problem

    California has seen its share of drought, anyone who is a long-time resident can attest to water rationing and restrictions – and it appears it might be dealing with water shortages again in 2014.

    Although winter is a strange time of year to announce a drought – with three-fourths of the country under ice and snow, but California has not had its usual rain or snowfall. A city like Santa Cruz usually gets at least 30 inches of rain every year, but this year – only about five inches fell – from July to June.

    As of December 24th, 85 percent of the state was experiencing severe or extreme drought conditions. Reservoirs are at below normal levels, and people are starting to worry.

    On Dec. 17, Governor Jerry Brown set up a Drought Task Force to review expected water allocations and the state’s level of preparedness – drought is being felt in 94.25 percent of California, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

    Drought is extremely hard on its inhabitants – human and animal alike – and it is really hard on one of the biggest agricultural growers in the country. Half of the fruits, vegetables and nut crops eaten in the U.S. come from California.

    Experts are hoping for an extremely wet winter and spring to try to dissuade the drought from getting any worse.

    For farmers and growers who depend on the land to make a living, this drought is especially challenging. Wells have dried up, and farmers are importing water for their crops and cattle.

    And that isn’t the worst of it – although it’s bad – but California actually has a “fire” season. California is partially desert, and with that warm climate, things dry out quickly.

    Last summer’s Rim Fire was the biggest on record in the Sierra Nevada’s and the third largest in California’s history, burning 257,314 acres of land. Drought is a huge fire risk to the mountains and residents of California.

    With the National Weather Service predicting a continued drought in California into the early spring, things aren’t looking good.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons