20051457 Ver 1_Gaston County experiencing 'moderate drought' - Gaston Gazette.msg_20121130

Mueller, Amanda
From: Kritzer, Jamie <jamie.kritzer @ncdenr.gov>
Sent: Friday, November 30, 2012 8:58 AM
To: Fransen, Tom; Godreau, Jessica; Kritzer, Jamie; Peele, Linwood; Reeder, Tom; Midgette,
Robert; Young, Sarah; Wilson, Nat
Cc: Cary, William P; Freeman, Dee; Frye, Harlan; Inman, Lloyd; Jones, Lori; Barsness, Kari K;
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Ozer, Trina S; West, Wanda
Subject: Gaston County experiencing 'moderate drought' - Gaston Gazette
Gaston County experiencing 'moderate drought'
By Wade Allen
Published: Thursday, November 29, 2012 at 17:06 PM.
Gaston County has been in a moderate drought for three weeks and it may only get worse in the days ahead.
A total of 54 North Carolina counties are in a moderate drought, the first in a series of four levels used by the
N.C. Division of Water Resources to determine drought severity.
Twenty seven counties are listed as "abnormally dry" but the ones experiencing the more severe "moderate
drought" include Gaston, Cleveland, Lincoln, Catawba, Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, Iredell and Burke.
Sarah Young with the Division of Water Resources said some parts of the region's rainfall levels are 4.5 inches
below normal for the past 30 days and 6 inches below for the past 60 days.
Autumn is notorious for dry weather conditions but precipitation in the winter usually replenishes streams,
rivers and lakes.
"If we do stay dry, then the things that we use to measure drought will get worse. But right now we're not to the
point where any water systems are affected," Young said.
The three -month outlook for precipitation in Gaston County indicates equal changes for rainfall levels to be
above or below average, meaning that forecasters really don't know if it will be a wet or dry winter.
Fire hazard
Now that many leaves have fallen from trees, raking them up and burning them is tempting but fire officials
warn that it's not a wise idea considering how and the ground is.
"With the dry conditions and we've also had some very high winds, the first thing we do is we recommend that
there is absolutely no outside burning," said Chris Stowe with Crowders Mountain Fire and Rescue. "It only
takes a split second for somebody who is just doing something legally to end up with a forest fire."

He said burning anything manmade including household garbage is illegal in Gaston County. The fire
department has received several calls recently about people torching leaves in high -wind conditions.
"We recommend no outside burning especially until we get some rain in the area and I'm not talking a little
rain, I'm talking a soaker," Stowe said.
The N.C. Forest Service also urges residents to refrain from burning yard waste until significant rainfall is
received. There have been more than 600 wildfires across the state in November and debris burning is the
number -one cause.
People who choose to burn yard debris are asked to follow tips from the Forest Service including having a valid
burning permit, using a shovel or hoe to clear a perimeter around the burn area and having a hose, bucket and
shovel ready to toss dirt on the fire.
It's also recommended never to use flammable liquids to speed up debris burning and watch the fire until it's
completely extinguished.
Jamie Kritzer
Public information officer
N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources
1601 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699 -1601
(919) 707 -8602
Jamie. Kritzerancdenr. szov
An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer
E -mail correspondence to and from this address may he subject to the North Carolina Public Records Law and
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