Drought in Delaware, July 1 to 31, 1999

The drought intensified throughout July across Delaware. For the fourth consecutive month, below normal precipitation continued. On a county weighted average for the month of July, only 1.2 inches of rain fell in New Castle County, 1.7 inches in Kent County and 1.8 inches in Sussex County. The normal July monthly rainfall is around 4 inches. The effects of the increased as July wore on. The unseasonably hot July 4th weekend did not help. United Water of Delaware that weekend had to buy emergency water from the city of Wilmington and take every gallon of water it could from the White Clay Creek. But water supply streams in northern Delaware were already at or near record low streamflows for the time of year. Low streamflow rates along the White Clay Creek forced the City of Newark to shut down its water plant and left it dependent on wells and water from United Water of Delaware. Groundwater supplies were also reaching record lows. Later in July Newark asked citizens to voluntarily avoid all unnecessary water use. It was the first restrictions since 1995. On July 23rd Governor Thomas Carper declared a drought warning and set a goal of 15 percent water reduction throughout the state. The governor asked citizens to stop watering lawns and conserve water by fixing leaks and doing only full loads of dishes and laundry. If the goals were not met, mandatory restrictions were to follow. By the end of the month all of the three northern Delaware major water supply streams broke all time (50 year) records for low streamflow. The record low streamflow on the 29th helped the salt line creep inland beyond United Water of Delaware's intake lines along the White Clay Creek. The salt concentration exceeded federal standards. The brackish water was also affecting the operations of other industrial plants along the creek. United Water asked the Delaware River Basin Commission permission to dam the fresh water flowing on the White Clay Creek. The drought coincided with the growing season. The April 1st through July 31st four month period was the driest on record over the past 105 years in the state of Delaware. Farmers in Delaware were feeling a double pinch. Irrigation, if possible, was driving up the costs of farming. Meanwhile, ideal growing conditions elsewhere in the country kept crop prices low. By the end of the month nearly 100 percent of the topsoil and subsoil moisture level was rated as either short or very short. About sixty-six percent of all pastures and thirty-four percent of the corn crop was rated as either poor or very poor. The corn crop was fading fast at month's end. Farmers cut the corn early for silage to salvage the crop. The strawberry picking season lasted only half as long. Many soybean fields had to be replanted. Even if they were, the new seedlings withered in the blistering heat. Many farmers had to feed livestock hay normally reserved for the winter. The worsening drought could prompt the federal Farm Service Agency to seek a disaster declaration for Maryland and Delaware farmers as early as August. This would be the third straight year that a dry growing season has cut crop production deeply enough to trigger federal assistance in the region.