9. DROUGHT
A
drought is a condition of climate dryness, which is severe enough to reduce soil
moisture and water below the minimums necessary to sustain plant, animal and
human life. When defining drought
as an occurrence in Texas, it is best to consider two types of
drought-agricultural and hydrologic.
Agricultural drought is a dry period of sufficient length and intensity
that markedly reduces crop yields. Hydrologic
drought is a long-term condition of abnormally dry weather that ultimately leads
to the depletion of surface and ground water supplies, the drying up of rivers
and streams and the cessation of spring flows.
These two types of drought may, but do not necessarily, occur together.
It is possible to have an agricultural drought, short in duration so that
hydrologic factors are not significantly affected, even though crop failure
occurs. It is also possible to obtain reasonable crop yields during a long dry
period that affects hydrologic factors, if the rainfall during the growing
season is well timed, and sufficient to prevent severe stress on the crops.
It should be noted that the severity of a drought cannot be completely
measured in terms of precipitation alone, but precipitation statistics do
provide an easily obtainable index of drought severity. Declining reservoir and
stock tank levels due to a prolonged lack of precipitation are stark evidence of
a severe drought.
The
most recent drought affecting Polk County occurred in 1998.
The drought impact was greatest on cattle ranchers, farmers and the
timber industry. The hay crop was
seriously affected. Farmers and
ranchers usually get three cuttings a year.
It was reduced to only one. This
shortage will create greater cost in feeding farm animals during the winter
months. Great care had to be taken by the timber industry.
Under growth, which is normally burned off, had to be completely stopped.
Outdoor burning was banned because of the drought.
Developers and builders complained that banning outdoor burning had an
economical impact on them. We feel
that major forest fires were averted because of early preparation by the Texas
Forest Service, preparation and training by local fire departments, enforcing
burn ban restrictions, restricting use of fire works and educating the public on
the dangers of forest fires. Even through 1998 was an extremely dry spring and
summer, it was short lived. Tropical
storms in the Texas Valley and in the Pacific produced rains that helped curb
the effects. Polk County had
periods in September and October that over 25 inches of rain fell, on one
occasion we had 8.25 inches over a twenty-four hour period and still did not
have any reported flooding of any significance. Water shortages in some
population areas caused some water conservation and reduction measures over an
extended period, Lake Livingston was down two feet causing some reduction in the
aquatic recreational business.
Polk
County has suffered the effects of three droughts in the last 10 years.
In 1989, a drought severely affected the water level on Lake Livingston.
Recreation and tourism was severely affected. In 1996, the entire state of Texas was affected by a drought
that was the direct cause of the worse fire season the history of Polk County.
In
the summer of 1999, drought conditions lead to most Counties in the East Texas
area to compelled most of the counties in our region to declare an eminent
threat of severe forest fires and post burn bans.
Banning all types of outdoor burning, including control burns usually
carried out by developers and the large timber producers.
Due to the vast growth in Polk County many Developers and builders
complained that banning outdoor burning had a serious economical impact on them
asking county officials to allow them to control burn using a permit system.
Even through the county was approximately ten (10) inches behind the
normal rainfall; there were very few fires and no fires of any substantial size. County officials contribute this not to the burn ban but to
public education concerning the dangers of wildfire and the publics’ wiliness
to curb excess burning and notifying authorities before many large burns
occurred. The drought of 1999 in
comparison was inconsequential and was little more than an inconvenience to the
citizens of Polk County.
The era of plentiful water, when needs could be
readily met with development of near-by surface or ground water supplies is
past. Even with water conservation and sound water management, the County’s
rapidly growing population and economy will require additional water supplies.
The amount and manner in which this basic resource is provided will
define, to a large degree, our County’s economic potential and its quality of
life in the future. Water, more than any other natural resource, will determine
Polk County’s future in the decades to come.
Today, increasing demands and competition for available water, the high
cost of new water supply development, and heightened environmental concerns
regarding waste water and sub-surface septic systems make it difficult to gain
public support needed to bring Polk County into the 21st century.
The population in Polk County has grown by 57 percent over the past five
years and is expected to double over the next 12 years.
With this continued growth County officials are faced with the fact that
meeting future water needs of Polk County will require a full range of
management tools. Water
availability, economics, environmental concerns, and even public acceptance will
identify which particular tool is best suited to meet Polk County’s water
needs.
This Homepage was prepared by Kenneth F. Hambrick, Polk County Coordinator. Contact at E-Mail address:
webmaster@pcoem.org for additional information about our program.
The
information contained in this Homepage is considered public
domain and the Office of Emergency Management encourages
interested persons to utilize any portions of it that might be of educational
benefit or enhance their local programs.
Back to HomePage