The Drought Response Committee of the state of South Carolina met in Columbia on Tuesday and added 7 more counties to the category of 'extreme drought,' the state's highest level. 9 counties received a drought status upgrade.
Those counties are Union, Anderson, Abbeville, Greenwood, Newberry, Saluda, Edgefield, McCormick, and Laurens.
The Committee did not recommend mandatory water restrictions due to the fact that many areas within the extreme drought designation already have either voluntary or mandatory water restrictions.
Spartanburg Water System, for example, is located within the extreme drought zone but has managed to cut water usage with voluntary compliance. Officials at the Water System state that voluntary restrictions have reduced usage by 10 to 15 percent.
The 5 original counties under extreme drought conditions in the Upstate, located in the northwestern corner of South Carolina, remain under extreme alert--Oconee, Pickens, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Cherokee counties.
In spite of the continued bad news, the Committee did report at least some good news for two areas of the state that had formerly been under drought conditions. Rainfall totals in Charleston and Georgetown counties have been sufficient to remove the areas from the drought zone entirely.
For the complete story on the drought in South Carolina, click HERE to go to WSPA-TV News Channel 7.
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
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