Drought

There's been much talk in the Upstate over the past many months about our "extreme drought" status. So far we've had no mandatory restrictions, but we have been asked to conserve.

The newspaper often prints pictures showing how low our local lakes are. But sometimes you really just can't understand the magnitude until you see it yourself.

Last weekend, my mother and I took a trip down to Helen, GA in the North Georgia mountains. We drove by Lake Hartwell and Lake Keowee. It really was amazing how low those lakes are! The boat docks are barely reaching the water, and in some cases, aren't reaching them at all.

Coming home, we cross over the Tugalo River. (Or something like that.) It connects Lake Keowee and Lake Hartwell. Below is a picture I took from the Route 123 bridge.

Do you see the water? Now look over at the trees on the right-hand side. See those little structures at the base of the trees?

Those are boat-docks. THAT is how low the river is.

Yes, I now fully understand the magnitude of our drought. If only someone could convince the general population (and businesses too!) that lawn sprinklers do not need to be run every single day for an hour...