Residents suffering from three digit temperatures and little rainfall

Staff Writer

rseaborn@pickenssentinel.com

PICKENS COUNTY - Pickens County, along will 11 other upstate counties, enters the summer season under a severe drought status, and with temperatures soaring into the three-digits area added to little rainfall, the immediate future is looking bleak.

"But just because June is hot and dry doesn't necessarily mean that July will be also," Hope Mizzell, S.C. State Climatologist, said. "Right now we are under a semi-permanent Bermuda High, which could migrate enough in the next two weeks that we could see some afternoon thundershowers.

"The forecast is unknown," she said.

Pickens County currently falls into the third of four categories under the severe drought ruling, established by the state's Drought Response Committee, Mizzell said.

"Right now, we are leaving the mandatory water restrictions to the decisions of local water systems," she said.

Should the Upstate's status be upgraded to extreme conditions, restrictions could be mandated by state leaders, she said.

"But we are still a long way from that," she said. "We are not yet seeing any wide-spread water shortages."

Although temperatures may seem to be a lot warmer for this season, the state's heat is only seven degrees above the average, she said. This, coupled with little to no rainfall, makes conditions appear to be worse than reality.

"We haven't had any reports of problems with water supplies," she said. "There would be

a significant water shortage before the state mandates water conservation."

Jason Walls, a spokesperson with Duke Energy, said that the Oconee Nuclear Plant is operating at 100 percent.

"We are in a drought, but the impact this has had on the lake levels has been minimal," he said.

By pumping water from Lake Jocassee and Bad Creek, water levels in Lake Keowee have been maintained, he said.

Waters from Keowee continue to be periodically released into Lake Hartwell, per an agreement with the Army Corps of Engineers, Walls said.

Restrictions on lawn watering from the lake for surrounding property owners have been relaxed, allowing water to be used on Saturday for watering lawns, he said.

Last year's restrictions banning the use of lake water for surrounding properties and in play for Sunday through Friday, he said.

With the lake levels lower, boating safety hazards come into play, he said.

"We hope everyone enjoying the lakes will watch out for safety hazards that have come into play since the drought brought on the lower lake levels, Walls said.

Area wildlife is not suffering so much as one would expect, S.C. Department of Natural

Resources Wildlife Biologist Richard Morton said.

"A lot of animals get their water requirements from vegetation," he said. "But drought has impacted the vegetation, so animals are turning to streams and ponds in utilizing the resources.

"You'll see animals more and more out at their favorite watering holes," Morton said.

"They know where it's at and they will survive fairly well.

"If there are creeks and ponds around, they will find it," he said.

DNR Fisheries Biologist Dan Rankins said so far, the fish in area lakes are surviving well.

"The drought does appear to have impacted the lake levels, but it doesn't appear to have any impact on the fish in the lakes," he said. "There is vegetation growth in the shallows, where the levels have dropped and plant plants start growing. That seems to help out the fish."

Mizzell said people should be mindful of the need to conserve water during the coming weeks.

"It's things like not over-watering the lawn or washing cars," she said. "It's using common sense and everyone doing his part to conserve."