Tuesday, February 19, 2013
Nowhere in Georgia is now classified as Level 4, extreme drought, which is dangerous.
The rain the area has received since the beginning of January is helping to ease dought conditions that have plagued Athens and most of Georgia since last summer, and months before. The cisterns are full and the rivers are rising. In January, says climatologist Pam Knox of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Athens got 7.36 inches of rain, putting us .6 ahead of the normal amount of 6.76 inches. "And we're expecting rain later this week, so that should help," Knox said. "Right now, we're a little above normal." In Central Georgia, dought conditions have lessened, thanks to the rain, moving from Level 4, exceptional drought, to Level 3, extreme drought. The acquifer levels are still low, Knox said, adding that it will …
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Barrow, Clarke and Oconee water customers will need to cut back outdoor use in response to the drought, according to news reports.
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Thursday, September 8, 2011
Water customers in Barrow, Clarke and Oconee counties will be limited to watering lawns and washing cars three days a week under new restrictions approved Wednesday, the Athens Banner-Herald reports. The new limits were approved by the board of the Upper Oconee Basin Water Authority, which oversees the Bear Creek Reservoir. Jackson County is also affected by the restrictions. The new regulations still need to be endorsed by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, which means it will be several days before they become official, Oconee County Utilities Director Chris Thomas, operations chairman for the water authority, told the newspaper. The Bear Creek Reservoir was full at the beginning of July, but its level has been falling …
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
A shortage of rainfall across Georgia is forcing farmers in Oconee and Athens to make critical decisions about how they operate.
The growing drought across the southern United States is beginning to have an effect on many farming operations in Northeast Georgia, including some in Oconee and Athens-Clarke Counties. Monte Stephens, Oconee County’s UGA cooperative extension agent, says local cattle farmers are experiencing limited grazing capabilities due to the lack of rainfall, and will soon have to make very strategic decisions about how they run their operations. “Some farmers don’t have enough grass to feed the animals and they are having to buy more hay,” Stephens said. “They have to think more about conserving water and limiting grazing areas in order to give their pastures some rest.” Stephens added that if the drought continues, farmers would have to make …
Thursday, June 16, 2011
It refreshed us, but we need a similar storm every day for a month to make up the deficit.
Hey! Stop watering your newly sodded lawn like there’s no tomorrow. One good rain doesn’t mean a lot to the State Climatologist, David Stooksbury, a UGA faculty member. And maybe it shouldn’t mean much to you either. In the last 30 days, we’ve gotten less than 50 percent of our normal rainfall. Go back a little further, to April. In the past 60 days, only 47 percent of the normal amount of rain has fallen, says Stooksbury. Thank goodness for March. Now we’re looking at 70 percent of normal rainfall. Athens sits between a rock and hard place when it comes to rain. To the north of us, conditions are abnormally dry, Stooksbury says. To the south, there’s an extreme drought baking everything to a crisp. Guess the pain we are feeling isn't all …
Nancy Zechella
11:46 am on Friday, September 9, 2011
Winter rye is an annual and I plant it every year around the 3rd week in September. Although, one year it was the first of November before I got it planted. It does not like hot weather and starts to die out when it gets hot in May. I used to plant just the front yard, but for the last several years I have planted both front and back yards. more ›