TX Drought Eases, But Too Late For Some; Water Managers Face Key Decision On (TX) Colorado River

Defying seasonal climate forecasts, this winter has been very good to Texas, which has been locked in the grips of one of the worst droughts in state history. But the unexpectedly generous winter storms have come too late for some, since water supplies are still running low.

As I reported in late January, managers of the Lower Colorado River are likely to take the unprecedented step of denying water for rice growers in Southeast Texas, putting several thousand jobs at risk. Although the decision won't be made until March 1, it is unlikely that Texas will receive enough rainfall to put reservoirs above the mark set by water managers, who must balance the needs of agricultural producers with the water demands of the city of Austin, power companies, and myriad other users.

The Houston Chronicle reported this week that the Lower Colorado River Authority "may have no choice but to cut off the farmers. The Highland Lakes, two large reservoirs near Austin, must hold a combined 850,000 acre-feet of water by next week before the growers' share can be released, under a drought emergency plan now in effect. As of Wednesday, the lakes had 830,000 acre-feet, 41 percent of capacity." The fact that the reservoirs are still so low indicates the severity of the long-term precipitation deficit that Texas is still dealing with, despite a three-month period with above average rainfall.

The rains have certainly eased the drought in the short-term, however, as seen in the U.S. Drought Monitor. On Dec. 6, 2011, 90 percent of Texas was experiencing between "severe" to "exceptional" drought conditions. In the latest update to the map, however, 67 percent of the state falls into that range, and a sliver of the state is shown to be free of drought conditions entirely, at least for now.

EDIT

http://www.wltx.com/news/article/175723/347/Texas-Drought-Eases-But-Its-Too-Late-for-Some


U.S. Drought Monitor for Texas as of Feb. 21.


U.S. Drought Monitor for Texas as of early January.