Lancaster County Reports Unprecedented Drought Conditions Spreading across Eastern South Carolina

Impacts of the Drought

Eastern South Carolina is witnessing a record-breaking drought that now includes Lancaster County, as per the region’s leading climatologist. In close pursuit are York and Chester counties. As a result of a recent conference call with the South Carolina Drought Response Committee, every county was escalated to some level of drought, an unprecedented move for the state.

With 12 counties, including York and Chester, listed as in incipient drought – the least severe of four categories – the rest of the state is not faring much better. Another 19 counties are at moderate drought, whilst an expansive 15-county area stretching from central South Carolina to its eastern beaches and up to the North Carolina state line has fallen into severe drought. Only extreme drought could be worse. This severe rating includes Lancaster County, which has jumped straight from no drought to this third level, an event that the state’s climatologist, Hope Mizzell, admitted had not occurred before.

A Change in Weather Patterns

According to Mizzell, weather patterns have deviated from the norm, with a wet winter and spring transforming dramatically since the start of June. “The rain stopped,” she said, “and the thermostat soared.” The ongoing heatwaves and lack of rainfall – many parts of the state received less than 2.5 inches since early June – have led to harmful impacts on crops, livestock, streams, and have caused a spike in wildfires.

Farmers are facing the brunt of the situation with corn crops lost or stressed, delayed soybean planting, and grass for cattle feeding lost. The South Carolina Forestry Commission records that more than 200 wildfires have scorched over 1,200 acres since June 1, marking a 77% increase in the number of fires and a 214% increase in burned acreage, against the state’s 10-year average for this period.

River Levels and Water Conservation

Meanwhile, river levels are dwindling, with the Little Pee Dee and Black rivers nearing critically low levels. Fortunately, larger reservoirs have not seen such drastic drops, thanks to the higher rain levels earlier in the year. These factors have led to the implementation of water conservation measures across the affected regions.

Duke Energy, among the key players in countering the drought, uses a drought response system leveraging their 11 Catawba River basin reservoirs to maintain water levels. They work closely with municipalities to coordinate conservation efforts. However, despite these interventions, the utility company has reported lower than normal levels in Lakes James, Norman, and Wylie due to drier conditions.

Next Steps and Ongoing Evaluation

With five out of their 11 reservoirs below target levels, the situation remains critical. The drought committee in South Carolina has urged all water systems statewide to review their drought response plans and put them into action as necessary. The conditions across the state are set to be reevaluated on July 24.

North Carolina’s Drought Management Advisory Council lists conditions by counties or parts thereof. With all five levels of drought status prevalent across the state, municipalities are preparing to enforce measures that could impact irrigation, car washing, and other water-consuming activities.