Drought data sought from public

Montgomery County officials make appeal

By Steven Cook
Gazette Reporter

February 26, 2002
FONDA - Montgomery County is looking for public participation to help gauge the extent of drought conditions in the county, the county's drought task force said on Monday.

The county needs the help, in part, because a state Department of Environmental Conservation ground moisture monitoring system does not have monitors in the county, Emergency Management Coordinator Gary Nestle said.

"Without that, we can only go with what the National Weather Service tells us on how short we are on rainfall," Nestle said.

"I hope the DEC agrees with us and puts indicators in the county that we can work off of."

Montgomery County's rainfall is between 7 and 8 inches below normal, Nestle said, warranting a drought warning. Other counties in the area are experiencing similar conditions.

Officials are nervous about the lack of snow cover, something that could lead to a worsening of the drought this spring.

The drought task force, made up of representatives from emergency management, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Planning and Soil and Water Conservation officials, met Monday to figure out how to address the lack of rain.

The DEC maintains ground water monitoring wells around the state, but has only 15 in operation, DEC officials said Monday.

A plan in the governor's budget could bring that number up to 34 statewide, according to DEC spokesman Peter Constantakes. The location of any new wells has not been determined, he said.

"We don't have the resources to put them in every county," Constantakes said. "We realize there needs to be improvements, but right now we just don't have the resources to do all places."

In the absence of DEC monitoring wells, public reporting on local water levels would help officials concentrate any response on areas that need it, officials said.

Anyone experiencing difficulties with a water supply may contact Nestle at 853-4011.

"If we don't have to worry about Palatine or Mohawk, that would be nice to know," said Steve Anderson, county executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency. "We have to find out where we need it and then figure out how to attack it."

One method of attack could be building more ponds for farmers, something that was done in 1999, the last time Montgomery County saw a drought warning.

Such ponds could be costly, officials said, reaching into the tens of thousands of dollars.

One such pond could be placed on private land west of Fort Plain. Several farmers in Minden have sought help for lack of rain.

Corey Nellis, district manager for the Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District, is to lobby state Sen. Hugh Farley, R-Niskyauna, and Assemblyman Paul Tonko, D-Amsterdam, for funds to help build the new ponds.

The new ponds would join existing ponds as places for farmers to get water for livestock during droughts.

Posted May 5, 2002