Summer poses potential problems Dog days, indeed.
Mix a precipitation deficit as much as 10 inches, a long-range forecast void of rain and heat index values above 100 degrees and you have a recipe for concern in Crittenden County.
Both the City of Marion and county governments are directing residents to make changes in their lifestyle to confront the lingering drought and dismal forecast. Both burning and water consumption are addressed by the local governments.
A county-wide ban on outdoor burning of any type was issued Monday by Judge-Executive Fred Brown.
"Due to the recent drought in Crittenden County and the concerns of all the county fire departments, a no burn ban is in effect immediately for all of Crittenden County," Brown said in an official statement.
The ban includes residents within incorporated Marion as well. It will not be lifted until a minimum rainfall of 2 inches occurs within a 24-hour period or until otherwise removed by Brown.
Currently, University of Kentucky weather data from Princeton and Paducah show rainfall deficits this year at 6.09 and 9.95 inches, respectively. There is no UK data collection site for Marion. And, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has classified the drought in western Kentucky as severe.
That data, as well as a bleak longterm forecast, prompted Marion City Administrator Mark Bryant on Monday to issue a call for voluntary outdoor watering reductions.
"The ongoing drought, now coupled with a 10-day forecast of temperatures between 95 and 100, have us concerned enough to ask residents to begin cutting back on their outdoor water use," said Bryant.
A 10-day forecast for Marion from The Weather Channel's Web site shows no rain and only one cloudy day through next Friday. The air temperature alone is forecast for 101 degrees today (Thursday) and in the 90s the remainder of the extended forecast. The heat index, which takes humidity into account with temperature, will be at or above 100 each day.
The city is asking residents and businesses with odd-numbered addresses to limit outdoor watering to odd-numbered days between 8 p.m., and 8 a.m. Likewise, even-numbered addresses will be asked to limit between the same hours on even-numbered days.
A close watch of Marion's water source, Lake George, has shown a steady decline in the water level as summer has progressed. However, Bryant said the lake is still "more than adequate for serving Marion's 1,600 or so water customers."
The voluntary cutback to watering lawn, washing cars, filling pools and cleaning sidewalks is being requested to help prevent a future mandatory, perhaps harsher, restriction. Car washes and other businesses that make a living with such water uses are not currently being asked to change their routine.
Rural residents, however, are facing no such concerns at the moment.
Donnie Beavers, Crittenden-Livingston Water District superintendent, said Tuesday that summer pools at Lake Barkley are normal, leaving a more than adequate supply of water flowing past the water utility's intake on the Cumberland River at Pinckneyville in Livingston County. As of Tuesday, Barkley Dam was releasing 450,000 gallons of water per second downstream.
"That's a lot of water flowing past," Beavers said.
The water district is processing water at 75-percent capacity, treating 1.5 million gallons of water a day. Capacity is 2 million gallons per day.
"It's not as bad as it was," the superintendent said of water concerns two months ago.
In June, 1.8 million gallons per day was being treated for Crittenden-Livingston customers, as well as to three Livingston County cities and portions of Ledbetter and Lyon County water districts.
Beavers believes most of his more rural customers have given up on saving lawns and garden.
"People have said to heck with their yards," he said.
Ag concerns Meantime, agricultural concerns center around feed for livestock, as well as danger to the animals related to high temperatures.
University of Kentucky Agriculture Extension Agent Cory Payne said livestock will be in danger of heat stress for the next few days as heat index values approach 100 degrees each day. Particularly vulnerable are black angus cattle.
Payne, agent for Crittenden County, said livestock should be okay, however, if they have shade and plenty of water.
With most pastures parched, hay reserves are already being called on to supplement livestock diets, further depleting supplies farmers count on for winter feed.
“Some won’t have enough to last through winter,” Payne said Tuesday. “We are in very, very short supply of hay.”
The ag agent said a spring freeze destroyed half to two-thirds of the the early hay crop in Crittenden County.
“You put the drought on top of that and and it’s hard on the livestock guys,” he said.
Many ranchers have already begun to cull or downsize their cattle operations, selling many head early for fear there won’t be enough feed later. Payne also said some are paying a premium rate for out-of-state hay to maintain their herd.
“Some folks are having to stand back and really take a look at their operations,” he said.
Crops, on the other hand, seem to be fairing well, according to the agent.
Some late planted beans are suffering, but other than that, it doesn’t look too bad,” Payne said.
Hay growers could still salvage the latter half of the year if autumn rains are normal to above normal. Payne said fescue, which supplies almost all of the hay in Crittenden County, lies dormant during the heat of summer, not requiring lots of water to stay alive.
People with outdoor interests should take precautions to protect themselves against the effects of the heat, the UK College of Agriculture noted in its agricultural weather outlook on its Web site.
(Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this story.)