RALEIGH, N.C. (SFN) — Recent rainfall has brought some relief to North Carolina, but N.C. Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler says drought concerns remain – especially in the Piedmont.
Troxler said the latest drought monitor maps have not shown major improvement because they account for long-term rainfall deficits. However, he said timely showers have helped keep crops alive and growing in many parts of the state.
“We’ve been fortunate across the state to get some showers in different places,” Troxler said. “The Piedmont, where I’m from, remains a very dry spot.”
The N.C. Forest Service lifted the state’s ban on open burning for 81 counties effective Sunday, May 3, after rainfall helped moderate fire danger. The ban remains in place for 19 counties, mostly in the Piedmont: Alamance, Anson, Cabarrus, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Mecklenburg, Montgomery, Moore, Randolph, Rockingham, Rowan, Stanly, Stokes and Union.
Troxler said the rain has not been enough to fully address the broader impacts of drought.
“The one thing that the dry weather has done is a lot of our water levels in ponds and lakes that we irrigate out of, and certainly the stream flow and river flow, is way down,” he said.
That could create problems for farmers later this summer if regular rainfall does not continue and irrigation demand increases. Troxler said water supplies are below normal in many areas and drinking water reservoirs are also declining.
“They are falling pretty rapidly, and some areas are going into phase one water restrictions now,” he said.
Troxler said long-term water supply is one of his growing concerns as North Carolina continues to add new residents and businesses. He said the state has not kept pace with reservoir construction, noting that the Randleman Dam project for the Greensboro area took about 20 years to permit and build.
“If today we decided we’ve got to have more water for the citizens of North Carolina, we could be 20 years behind,” Troxler said.
While the open burning ban has been lifted in most counties, state officials are urging caution. Burn permits issued before the statewide ban were canceled, meaning residents in counties no longer under the ban must obtain a new valid permit before burning. The state ban also does not apply to fires within 100 feet of an occupied dwelling, where local fire marshals have authority.