Rain, snow bring brief relief to drought-stricken Maine waterways

Although the wet, heavy snow that fell Tuesday evening and early Wednesday morning may not have been welcomed by those tired of shoveling walkways and scraping off cars, the precipitation brought a bit of good news to the state’s drought watchers.

The rain and snow likely won’t do much to rebuild the state’s underground water supplies, but it did help fill streams and lakes depleted by a lengthy run of dry months.

The storm dropped up to 21/2 inches of rain and snow in coastal areas with just a half-inch falling in far northern Maine, according to the National Weather Service.

“It helps in the short term,” said Hendricus Lulofs of the NWS office in Caribou. But, he added, the state needs more wet weather to truly help end the drought conditions.

This month will mark the first time since last March that the state has experienced above-average precipitation. However, last year was the driest in Maine in the 107 years weather records have been kept, with precipitation more than 2 inches below normal.

The state would need at least 11/2 times its normal precipitation to end the drought by this summer. There’s less than a 10 percent chance of that happening.

However, the situation could improve slightly in the short term. Several more storms are predicted to move through the state in the next couple of weeks, although none will bring as much precipitation as fell Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning.

“As long as they keep coming, every little drop helps,” Lulofs said.

This is a good time of the year for snow and rain to fall, he said, because most vegetation has yet to emerge to soak up water. That means most of the precipitation that falls now has a chance to make it into the ground.

State officials estimate that 2,000 wells in Maine have gone dry because of the drought.

To ensure that help is available to individuals and utilities that need it, the state is preparing to ask President Bush to declare Maine a disaster area. Such a declaration would make federal emergency funds available to help people cope with the drought.

Officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency currently are touring the state to assess the amount of damage done by the lack of water. Assistance in the form of loans already has been made available to farmers who have been affected by the drought.

The public is encouraged to use the Maine Emergency Management Agency’s toll-free number, 800-452-8735, as a single point of contact for state government for drought-related questions. Information on aid programs, as well as drinking water safety and water conservation tips, also are available at the Drought Task Force Web site. The Web site also offers an online form for citizens to report their water problems. Click on the Drought Information button on the State of Maine Web site, www.state.me.us.