South Carolina Current Drought Status
State Climate Office 803-734-9100
NEWS RELEASE DNR News 803-734-3815
March 13, 2009
S.C. Drought Response Committee Meeting, April 15, 2009
The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources will convene the next South Carolina Drought Response Committee meeting on April 15, 2009 at 10:00 AM. The meeting be held at the South Carolina Forestry Commission Headquarters building at 5500 Broad River Road in Columbia, South Carolina.
The purpose of ths drought meeting is to evaluate the drought status statewide. The committee will review climatic data, streamflow and lake level data, and drought impacts. Local response to the on-going drought will also be reviewed to determine if additional actions are needed to insure sustainable supplies.
If you have any questions, please contact Hope Mizzell at 803-734-9568 or email her mizzellh@dnr.sc.gov.
All of State's counties now in drought status
For previously issued drought statements see the archived status reports.
Table of all counties and drought status.
Drought Response Committee Meeting Sign-In sheet.
Discussion:
The S.C. Department of Natural Resources convened the S.C. Drought Response Committee on Feb. 19 in Columbia. Nine counties were maintained at the extreme level. Recent dry conditions prompted the Drought Response Committee to upgrade the drought declaration for 16 counties along the coast and Pee Dee region from no drought status to incipient: Chesterfield, Marlboro, Darlington, Dillon, Florence, Marion, Horry, Williamsburg, Georgetown, Berkeley, Dorchester, Charleston, Colleton, Beaufort, Hampton and Jasper.
Dry conditions continue in the Upstate where nine counties remain in extreme drought. The counties remaining in the extreme category are: Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, Abbeville, Laurens, Greenwood and McCormick.
Five counties in the Catawba-Wateree River Basin were downgraded to moderate status: York, Chester, Fairfield, Lancaster and Kershaw.
For more information about drought and to see a drought status by county map, visit the Office of State Climatology drought web site.
The Drought Committee voted unanimously on a resolution to support a recent request by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources (DNR), S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control and GA Environmental Protection Division to the Savannah District Corps of Engineers. The committee requested that the Corps of Engineers expeditiously conduct an Environmental Assessment on the reduction of minimum releases from Lake Thurmond from 3600 cfs (cubic feet per second) to 3100 cfs for the months of March through May 2009 in order to help mitigate the effects of the drought in the Savannah Basin.
Hope Mizzell, South Carolina state climatologist, reported the long-lead forecast continues to project below normal rainfall through April.
According to DNR hydrologist Masaaki Kiuchi only one of the 17 statewide stream flow gauges shows no drought, "Currently 12 of the 17 gauges are in extreme drought. Our continued concern is the serious situation of low lake levels in the Savannah River Basin."
Darryl Jones with the S.C. Forestry Commission reported the state is entering the dry season with February already experiencing above average forest fires, "Given the forecast, I think we can expect greater forest fire activity and this increase can be attributed to the dry fuels resulting from the drought."
Recognizing that spring brings a time of increasing water use, the committee approved a recommendation that urged individuals in the extreme drought counties to carefully consider their water needs and reduce unnecessary water use.
Michael G. McShane, DNR Board Chairman, addressed the committee in regards to ongoing water resource management efforts. DNR developed a statewide water plan in 1998 that was revised in 2004. Plans are to initiate an update later this year. Also the Governor's Savannah River Committee is making good progress on a number of interstate water issues.
Contact Hope Mizzell in Columbia at (803) 734-9568 or e-mail at mizzellh@dnr.sc.gov for more information.
DNR protects and manages South Carolina's natural resources by making wise and balanced decisions for the benefit of the state's natural resources and its people. Find out more about DNR at the DNR Web site.
Drought Status Table
| Current Drought Status by County |
|---|
| Normal |
Incipient |
Moderate |
Severe |
Extreme |
County
Status |
County
Status |
County
Status |
County
Status |
County
Status |
|---|
ABBEVILLE
Extreme |
AIKEN
Moderate |
ALLENDALE
Incipient |
ANDERSON
Extreme |
BAMBERG
Incipient |
BARNWELL
Incipient |
BEAUFORT
Incipient |
BERKELEY
Incipient |
CALHOUN
Incipient |
CHARLESTON
Incipient |
CHEROKEE
Severe |
CHESTER
Moderate |
CHESTERFIELD
Incipient |
CLARENDON
Incipient |
COLLETON
Incipient |
DARLINGTON
Incipient |
DILLON
Incipient |
DORCHESTER
Incipient |
EDGEFIELD
Severe |
FAIRFIELD
Moderate |
FLORENCE
Incipient |
GEORGETOWN
Incipient |
GREENVILLE
Extreme |
GREENWOOD
Extreme |
HAMPTON
Incipient |
HORRY
Incipient |
JASPER
Incipient |
KERSHAW
Moderate |
LANCASTER
Moderate |
LAURENS
Extreme |
LEE
Incipient |
LEXINGTON
Moderate |
MARION
Incipient |
MARLBORO
Incipient |
MCCORMICK
Extreme |
NEWBERRY
Severe |
OCONEE
Extreme |
ORANGEBURG
Incipient |
PICKENS
Extreme |
RICHLAND
Moderate |
SALUDA
Severe |
SPARTANBURG
Extreme |
SUMTER
Incipient |
UNION
Severe |
WILLIAMSBURG
Incipient |
YORK
Moderate |
|
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Sign-In Sheet
SC Drought Response Committee Meeting, March 13, 2009
Sign-In sheet |
|---|
| Name & Agency | Name & Agency |
|---|
Warren Harris - Drought Committee
Buddy Rivers - Drought Committee
David Baize - SCDHEC
Charles Seyton - BJWSA
Steve Hammond - Duke
Mitch Turner - SJWD
John Westcott - Drought Committee
Marion Rizer - Colleton Soil & Water District
Elbert Warren - Drought Committee
Chris Bickley - Drought Committee
Ken Rentiers - SCDNR
George Lamberty - NWS
Francis Turbolino - EMD
David Lodgeman - Governor's Office
Vernon Osteen - Drought Committee
Scott Willett - Anderson Regional Water
Doug Young - Chickasaw Point Property Owners Assoc
Darrell Jones - SCFC
Brenda Neetles - Drought Committee
Carol Roberts - SCDHEC
|
Ed Bruce - Duke
George Gallaher - Duke
Mike Hancock - Drought Committee
Darrell Jones - SC Froestry Commission
Norman Whitaker - Drought Committee
Masaaki Kiuchi - SCDNR
Steven J. de Kozlowski - SCDNR
Jim Wilkowski - Drought Committee
David Tompkins - Dept. of Ag
Kirsten Lackstrom - University of South Carolina
Michael McShane - SCDNR Chairman
Hope Mizzell - DNR
Evelyn Johnson - SCDNR
Brett Witt - SCDNR
Mark Brug - Santee Riverkeeper
Andy Fairey - Drought Committee
Bill Yetman - City of Rock Hill
Stuart Ames - Drought Committee
John Shelton - USGS
Rick Walker - Rain-Catchers.net
Dennis Chastain - Drought Committee
|
Find out more about the State Climatology Office at http://www.dnr.sc.gov/climate/sco/ or by calling (803) 734-9100.
