Drought: Wisconsin

We desperately need rain, but we're powerless to make it happen.

From FOX 6 News:

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency Monday, July 9th in 42 Wisconsin counties due to drought, or abnormally dry conditions.

The declaration allows expedited permits for farmers to temporarily use stream or lake water for irrigation.

The declaration covers these counties: Adams, Brown, Buffalo, Calumet, Clark, Columbia, Crawford, Dane, Dodge, Fond Du Lac, Grant, Green, Green Lake, Iowa, Jackson, Jefferson, Juneau, Kenosha, Kewaunee, LaCrosse, Lafayette, Marquette, Manitowoc, Milwaukee, Monroe, Outagamie, Ozaukee, Portage, Racine, Richland, Rock, Sauk, Sheboygan, Trempealeau, Vernon, Walworth, Washington, Waukesha, Waupaca, Waushara, Winnebago, and Wood.

During a state of emergency, the Department of Natural Resources can expedite requests from farmers to divert water from streams and lakes for irrigation. The DNR must inspect the stream or lake in question within 72 hours of the request, to assure that fish and other aquatic life will not be harmed by the diversion.

In a statement, Gov. Walker said: “The lack of rainfall since May in the southern half of the state has hit hard in a crucial part of the growing season. Farm families are suffering under the stress and worry, but this is also a matter of statewide importance. Agriculture adds more than $59 billion to our economic output every year, and accounts for 354,000 jobs – one in every 10 Wisconsinite depends on agriculture for employment. It’s a vital sector of our economy that we need to protect.”

From WLUK:

Gov. Scott Walker declared a state of emergency in 42 southern Wisconsin counties Monday due to drought or abnormally dry conditions as the state continues to suffer from a brutal heat wave and lack of rain.

It's the first time such a declaration has been made since 2009. That one was issued for northern counties in August, much later in the growing season.

Monday's declaration is good for 60 days and allows for speeding up the issuance of permits for farmers to temporarily use stream or lake water for irrigation. The state Department of Natural Resources must inspect the stream or lake in question within 72 hours of the request to make sure no fish or other aquatic life will be harmed.

The U.S. Drought Monitor listed all or portions of 14 southern Wisconsin counties as experiencing a moderate drought as of its latest map dated July 3. All or portions of 23 counties are listed as abnormally dry.

Being abnormally dry means an area is experiencing short-term dry conditions that are slowing planting and the growth of crops or pastures. Fire risks are above average.

Moderate drought means some damage to crops and pastures has been reported and the risk for fires is high. It also means streams, reservoirs, or wells are low and some water shortages may be developing or are imminent.

"The lack of rainfall since May in the southern half of the state has hit hard in a crucial part of the growing season," Walker said in a statement.

According to the latest weekly Drought Monitor report from Thursday, 45 percent of top soil in west-central Wisconsin was rated as very short or short. That was up from 7 percent the previous week. In central Wisconsin, 74 percent of top soil was short or very short, nearly double the prior week. And in southwest Wisconsin, 82 percent of top soil was very short or short, up from 75 percent.

Lawns look like straw.

Our grass was greener in February.

The dry lawns are nothing compared to the crop damage. It's just awful.

The forecast holds no hope for significant rain, and there's nothing we can do about it.

Governor Walker declares state of emergency due to dryness: fox11online.com