Photo by Ian KeelStory by Mark Linn // Copy Editor // copy@insideuab.comLast week, Central Alabama broke the record for most consecutive days without rainfall. Worsening drought conditions impact the state in a variety of ways, ranging from wildfires to the loss of animal and plant life, and it looks like things are not going to get much better any time soon.
The impact
As of Sunday, Nov. 13, Birmingham has gone 56 days without measurable rainfall, the longest such streak since rainfall total began to be logged in 1895. Birmingham will need to see another 1.83 inches to avoid beating the previous record set in 1924. The latest Seasonal Drought Outlook compiled by the National Weather Service reports that drought conditions are likely to continue through January across Central Alabama.
The extremely dry conditions evoked constant danger of wildfires across the state. The National Weather Service reports over 1,500 wildfires have burned over 18,000 acres. Governor Robert Bentley has signed a Drought Emergency Declaration that bans all outside burning in the region.
The drought has severely affected agriculture, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Streams and ponds drying up have led to the loss of pastures, and the ground has been too dry to plant winter wheat.
Lake Purdy, which is the main source of water for Birmingham and much of Jefferson and Shelby counties, is currently only 25 percent full.
“I’m quite concerned about this long drought from the perspective of the fish and the mussels and the other invertebrates [...] that live in our small streams,” James McClintock, Ph.D. said. McClintock, a polar and marine biology professor who studies the effects of climate change on biodiversity, has been following the effects of the drought in Alabama, particularly in regard to local ecology.
“Our rivers and our bigger streams are doing okay, they’ve got pools of water where the life can go and have a refuge, but I have heard reports that some small streams in Alabama have dried up, and you can actually see dead fish littering the bottom of a little stream,” McClintock said. “And you know that the invertebrates like mussels that are down in the sediments are probably dead, because they need to have water over them to provide oxygen and food.”
So what’s causing the drought?
There really is not a single factor that can be pointed to. A bubble of high pressure in the atmosphere has deflected storm systems around Alabama whiling keeping temperatures above average, as reported by the National Weather Service.
Another factor is that conditions brought by the drought are themselves helping to perpetuate the drought.
“What’s happening with the drought is that the soils in Alabama have become very, very dry,” McClintock said. “Normally, when the soils are moist, and we’re having our regular rain events that we’re more used to, that provides more moisture to help keep the environment moist. That moisture in the soil evaporates into the atmosphere and help facilitate the next rain event.”
Although Alabama will hopefully find relief from the drought in the coming weeks or months, some scientists worry that weather events like this will become the new normal as a result of climate change.
It is difficult to pinpoint any one weather event as the result of climate change, but extreme weather conditions varying between short, heavy storms and longer, dryer periods are becoming more common. The Environmental Protection Agency reports that heavy downpours have increased in regions including the Southeast, as well as increased droughts. Predicting future precipitation is growing more difficult, as the Southeast lies between the increasingly wet northern region of the U.S. and an increasingly dry southwest region.
“It’s very difficult from a scientific standpoint to say ‘this drought is caused by climate change,’ but you can say that the drought fits a growing pattern of dryer periods of weather,” McClintock said. “We can expect dryer periods of drought that last longer than we’re used to, when we do have rain events they may be more intense, and flooding may be more common.”
What Alabama is doing about it
One problem that the recent lack of rain has brought into sharp relief is that Alabama has no statewide water policy for addressing issues like droughts.
“Alabama is one of the few states that does not have a statewide water use policy and regulations,” said Robert Angus, Ph.D., vice president of conservation at the Cahaba River Society and professor emeritus of biology at UAB. “Right now, there’s nothing to keep an agricultural or industrial user from sucking all the water they want out of local rivers, even in a drought.”
A report compiled by the National River Network in September found that the state had no statewide drought plan, no established water budget, no surface or groundwater tracking and no statewide water conservation policies.
Fortunately, the state has been taking steps toward a statewide water management plan. The Alabama Water Agencies Working Group, a committee of five state agencies charged with coming up with a statewide water management plan, is supposed to submit a formal recommendation to the governor by the end of the year.
“I’m very hopeful that the state of Alabama will wake up from this experience and work on a comprehensive water plan for the state,” McClintock said. “We are going to experience more droughts, more heavy rain, more extremes. We need to start thinking about how to plan for that.”
What UAB is doing about it
The drought affects some operations at UAB, but ongoing conservation efforts have lessened the impact. The Water Recovery and Reuse Program saves an estimated 84 million gallons of water annually through projects such as recycling condensate water from heating and cooling systems or capturing and reusing groundwater.
“Each year we had additional water reuse and recovery sites, and we are continually looking at new and innovative ways to conserve water,” coordinator of UAB Sustainability Julie Price, Ph.D. said. “We also believe that it’s important to do these projects year-round, whether there is a drought or not, since it saves money and helps reduce the pressure on the water system.”
What you can do about it
“I think individuals often don’t realize how much single acts of conversation matter — but they really do add up,” Price said. “This is especially important given UAB’s size and water needs.”
These tips help reduce the strain on water resources in times of drought, but they might also help you save money on your water bill as well.
Take showers instead of baths and try to keep your shower time under five minutes. You can save up to an average of 1,000 gallons a month this way.
Dishwashers, especially newer ones, typically use less water than washing by hand. If you do wash by hand, let them soak in the sink rather than rinsing them continuously.
Washing dark clothes in cold water helps save water and energy, not to mention helping your clothes retain their color.
