Worsening drought conditions

Oconee and Pickens are among a handful of South Carolina counties whose drought status has been upgraded from incipient to moderate drought.  Before changing a county designation, a statewide committee evaluates impacts on agriculture, water supply, water quality and forest fire conditions.  Many locations have received less than 1.5 inches of rain since August 11.  While the drier conditions helped in areas that experienced flooding from Debby, it has exacerbated dry conditions in areas that received limited rainfall from Debby. The following is a statement by hydrologist Scott Harder of the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services:  “Streamflow levels in the Upper Savannah basin continue to decline due to below-normal rainfall with 14-day average percentiles at or below the 13th percentile for the Chattooga River, Twelve Mile Creek, and Little River.  The low streamflows have led to continued declines in Lake Hartwell, Lake Thurmond and Lake Jocassee.  The U-S Army Corps of Engineers are currently in a Level 1 drought stage, while a low Inflow Protocol Stage 1 drought condition was recently declared for Duke Energy’s Keowee-Toxaway Project….”