Drought increases across Maine as river levels drop
By Emily Pike
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MAINE (WMTW) — Maine is experiencing one of its driest late summers in decades, with river and stream levels dropping to historic lows, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The combination of below-average rainfall and a lack of consistent storms has created increasingly dry conditions across the state.
“Since mid-June, we have only received about half of the rain that we normally would for that time of this year,” said Nick Stasulis, a data scientist with the USGS in Maine.
The summer began with frequent weekend storms, but they were not enough to sustain streamflows. “Everyone was complaining that it was raining every weekend and how terrible that was,” Stasulis noted.
The real issue, he explained, is not just the amount of rain but how it falls. “We really need several small rain storms spread out over time and we’re simply not getting that.”
Recent measurements from stream gauges show just how significant the drop has been.
“Today is the lowest it’s ever been, today is the lowest it’s ever been for all of the August 21st that we have collected data. Which is significant,” said Stasulis. “It has decades worth of data, so to say that it’s the lowest August 21st in several decades of data, that says something.”
The trend is not limited to a few isolated spots. Long-term gauges across the state are showing similarly alarming numbers. “Many gauges have more than 100 years’ worth of data. If we look at the data for all of those long-term stations, all of the stations throughout the state are in the lowest 10 percent of all the data we have ever collected for this day.”
While river and stream levels are visibly low, concerns about groundwater are also rising. Groundwater supplies are critical to the state’s drinking water infrastructure. “We haven’t seen the groundwater impacts yet, and that’s really where most of the population of Maine would feel the impacts of the drought,” Stasulis said.
The effects of the drought extend beyond humans. Low water levels and warmer stream temperatures can be harmful to aquatic life. “As you think about going out to fish. If you’re fishing for trout, you want a nice deep pool, they might be harder to find this time of the year. It puts stress on the fish, too.”
Looking ahead, Stasulis emphasized the importance of conservation, especially if dry conditions persist into the fall. “If this continues into the fall then we want to start to look at the ground levels maybe not running the sprinklers in the backyard all day, though I don’t think we are there yet.”
Unless consistent rainfall returns, much of Maine could be facing continued drought-related stress well into the fall season.
Lastly, Stasulis caution as we continue to be dry, to make sure you check the state’s fire danger. “The fire crews have been battling wildfires the past few weeks and it’s taking a lot of out them.”
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