Wisconsin's Drought
A drought stretching from two to eight years has dropped water tables so low in some areas of Wisconsin that shorelines around lakes are growing at a rapid rate. The problem is worst in seepage lakes where there is no natural inlet or outlet of water. Water levels are regulated by rainfall and groundwater. A high percentage of Wisconsin's lakes are seepage.
The drought has been compounded by a mild winter that left below-normal amounts of snow to melt and replenish groundwater tables. Warm winters mean lakes freeze over later, allowing more water to evaporate.
Central and Northern Wisconsin have been hardest hit. Annual precipitation in northwestern Wisconsin dropped from 36 inches in 2001 to 31 inches in 2005 and 22 inches last year. Precipitation totals in north-central Wisconsin dropped more than 6 inches from 2001 to 2006. And in central Wisconsin, the decline was more than 5 inches for the same time period.
The DNR this summer began funding two studies in central Wisconsin to figure out just how much groundwater pumped from wells affects lakes and rivers and how vegetation affects the amount of water that soaks into soil and replenishes groundwater.
August 7, 2007 10:02 AM | Category: Drought