Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 10, 1995 TAG: 9509110110
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
A local water emergency has been placed into effect in Dickenson County. But having Allen and then President Clinton declare a state or federal emergency would make the region eligible for federal and state grants to alleviate problems caused by the drought, said Ronnie Robbins, the county's emergency services coordinator.
Robbins said the water crisis is causing problems for livestock.
Meanwhile, Northern Virginia on Thursday tied a record for rainless days - 32. The last time measurable rain fell at National Airport was Aug. 6.
In Dickenson County, Del. Clarence Phillips told Robbins he has talked with Virginia Secretary of Public Safety Jerry Kilgore about asking Allen to declare an emergency.
Robbins said county officials and residents knew there was a problem with water supplies for livestock, but the problem has intensified.
``It has just started to get worse, but we are holding on as best we can,'' he said. He said efforts continue to transport water to households and to keep water tanks in some communities filled. Volunteer fire departments are taking the water to households, and Robbins said requests are increasing.
The county's Board of Supervisors is continuing to help by purchasing the water tanks and water, and paying truck drivers to transport it, Robbins said.
Kilgore asked the Virginia National Guard last week to bring some large water tanks, known as ``water buffaloes,'' to the county. The public safety secretary, a Southwest Virginia native, said his office and the county emergency services office will continue to monitor the situation.
In Northern Virginia, forecasters said there still was no relief in sight for parched crops and lawns. The National Weather Service retracted an early, tantalizing forecast of light showers for Saturday that had heartened discouraged farmers, fire officials and gardeners.
The previous record for days without measurable rainfall was set in the fall of 1963. Rainfall of more than one-hundredth of an inch is considered measurable, according to the National Weather Service, which takes the Washington-area measurement at National Airport.
A combination of factors is responsible for the dry spell. A surface high-pressure system keeps the region sunny and hot, while a low-pressure system at 18,000 feet acts as a steering current that pushes storms away, according to the Weather Service.
``The same system that has protected Washington from hurricanes has also kept the rains away,'' said Dewey Walston of the National Weather Service.
Because of the drought, moisture in the topsoil has evaporated, leaving behind poor crops, dormant grass and a good chance of early fall foliage.
by CNB