The recent showers have made a lot of difference in the appearance of our front yards as well as the crops in the fields. Lack of abundant rainfall all winter and spring had created some pretty dry conditions. Our grass was beginning to dry up, and many homeowners were running the sprinklers almost daily. Crops in the fields were beginning to show stress from lack of water, and many fields had not been planted simply because the soils were so dry the farmers knew the seeds would not germinate.

Even with the rainfall we have received during the past two weeks, the soils are still much too dry for this time of the year. According to the Accu Weather section of this newspaper, we normally should have received 16.2 inches of rain by this time of the year. Yet, we have received only 11.2 inches so far this year, which is 5 inches or 30 percent less than normal.

In case you don't remember the amount of rainfall we received last year, it was dry during the entire year as well. We ended last year with about 12 inches of rain less than normal. If we compare the amount of rainfall we have received during the last year and a half, we are more than 17 inches below normal. This is alarming when you consider that here in Robeson County we normally receive about 48 inches of rainfall each year. Even for the long term, we are about 30 percent below normal.

There is very good evidence to just how dry it really is. Look at the water level in most of the ponds you can see from the highway. Many of them are far from being full of water. Also, look at the level of the Lumber River. Usually at this time of the year, the river is at a relatively high level due to winter rains and spring showers. Actually, the water level in the Lumber River looks more like July than like May.

If you have paid much attention to newspaper and television reports during the past several months, you are well aware that drought is a major issue for many parts of the country. In fact, the prolonged drought is a major issue for many areas of North Carolina.

Just within the past couple of weeks, we have seen some of the major North Carolina cities in the Piedmont drastically limit the amount of water their residents can use. In fact, these cities have had to resort to fining citizens who were not following water-use ordinances. These cities rely on large reservoirs for their water supplies, and these reservoirs are at drastically low levels.

It is normal that many of us do not worry about things that do not affect us directly. Unfortunately, this is the case with the wise use of water. When we have adequate amounts of water as we seem to have here in Robeson County, we don't think twice about turning on the water sprinklers, washing the car, or flushing the toilet a couple of extra times during the day.

Have you ever considered the impact it would have on your daily life if you turned on the water spigot and nothing came out? Most likely you could survive, because you could rely on bottled water or emergency drinking water supplies for your daily needs. What would you do about bathing, washing clothes and dished, and flushing your toilets? If things got this bad, watering your grass or washing your car would be the last thing on your mind.

My comments today are not meant to alarm you. Hopefully, we will never have to face the problems I just mentioned, but each of us should be aware that there is not an unlimited supply of usable water. Each of us should use water resources wisely.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 5/28/02