Could drought end tomorrow?
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On August 14, NBC29’s Clayton Stiver was pointing out the dry situation, but it could soon end.PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER
With local meteorologists talking about one, two, or even three inches of rain and the National Weather Service calling for a nearly 100 percent chance of rain Wednesday, August 18— and with hurricane season intensifying— the 2010 drought that has gripped Central Virginia could be coming to an abatement, if not an end.
My tomato plants are jumping up and down. Yea haaaaaaaa.
It’s interesting to note, that after months of an official drought, there have been no water restrictions in our community this summer, and not even a drought watch.
Betty, I think this is only because the prices are high enough already. If they thought they could get by with it again, they would have used the 2010 drought as an excuse to raise the prices another 15% to 25%.
There are no water use restrictions because the reservoirs are still at 89.8% of capacity as of this morning. You may remember reading about the difference between a climatologic drought and a hydrologic drought back in 2004 when we really had a problem. Four dry months is nothing in terms of depleting the reservoirs and ground water. It took four years of drought for the reservoirs to get down below 50%. And we are using a lot less water per day on average than we were before restrictions were imposed back then.
Let there be no mistake, Mac. People are using less water now because it’s almost cheaper to take a shower using cheap beer.
The reason for the reduced consumption is irrelevant to the question of why further restrictions (or rate hikes if you prefer) have not been imposed.
Great, it figures. I will be moving a storage-unit load of furniture to Richmond Tues afternoon and Wednesday morning. Oh, well, we need it.
You people should try Richmond. Basic water/sewer/trash almost $100/month. Property taxes over $1.20 per hundred value. City/county relations that make the dust-ups between Charlottesville and Albemarle seem like a tea party (pardon the expression). The only thing I have found more expensive here is real estate. Granted, that impacts every single person here, but the idea that we are bled dry by our government is simply false.
Where is the sun?
PS “prainva” you may not be bled dry but I am. I would pay more in Richmond but I would get more. Here I pay less, but I get nothing. So pay something for something in Richmond or pay something for nothing in Cville, which is better.
My taxes for a 4 acre lot and a fairly simple 3 br/2 bath home? OVER $5000!!! They say the land alone is worth over $500,000 or $125K PER ACRE. Awfully tough for me to swallow when we paid less than $17,000 for the property in 1971, the land is not sub-dividable and I couldn’t sell the house for even the land assessment in this economy but the county says it’s “Fair Market Value”. And to boot I am on a fixed income and have no pension only my savings and social security.
What do I get for over 5K? I don’t use the schools. I find the police unresponsive and inadequate. When I call about the ninja bike racing on Saturday night at 2 am the response is always we don’t have an officer to respond and even if we did they can’t catch a motorcycle they are too fast.
I have a volunteer fire squad, so my taxes aren’t going there. They charge me to go into Mint Springs. They don’t take my trash or my recycling. They don’t provide me water or sewer. They don’t maintain the right of ways. So just exactly what do I get for my 5 large in taxes? When I go to the county office building the staff is generally (but not always) rude. So I am not paying for service. Just what the helldo I get exactly PLEASE prainva tell me what the helldo I get?
Mr. Brown, seems like you live in the county. If that’s true, you don’t live in Charlottesville. No wonder then that it gives you nothing in exchange for your taxes.
Mr. Brown, if you really think you’d be getting more service in an urban area, you are kidding yourself. You think cops are unresponsive here? In the cities, you have to tell the 911 operator that you see a weapon to get them to show up. $5000/yr seems like a bargain–you probably have paid off the mortgage, or it’s chump change, as long as you didn’t pull all the equity out of your property for granite countertops.
Taxes are the price we pay for living in a civilized society; they pave our roads, build our bridges, and educate our children (even if you don’t have kids in school, you can’t possibly believe it’s in the public interest to not fund schools). We don’t get to opt out.
You are very fortunate to be sitting on such a nice nest egg. Be grateful for what you have.
Charlottesville/Albemarle has seen a steady rise in water and sewer rates, drought or no drought. People I know are chosing to move away or not come here, because of the high cost of living in this community. Look around lots of “for sale” signs in all parts of the city and county. Ny guess is, the population of our area will decrease, even if UVA does grow; it won’t be enough to compensate for the manufacturing jobs leaving the area and the retirees chosing more affordable places to live out their golden years -which aren’t so golden in this economy.
“And by the way, if you see your mom this weekend,
Be sure and tell her: Clayton, Clayton, Clayton!!!”
“The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” cried Chicken Little.
“Hush,” said Henny Penny. “People will mistake you for Hawes Spencer.”
“But it’s going to RAIN!” Chicken Little explained.
“Rain rain go away, come again some other day,’” said Henny Penny. “Or–’into each life a little rain must fall.’ You’ve heard–’Rain on their parade’? Note the recurring theme. Every so often, it rains.”
“But we might get wet!”
“We’re fairy tale animals, not journalists. We have calm good sense. Last time Hawes predicted a 100% chance of rain we got not one drop. This time, a little drizzle. Not enough that the streets are wet but still, his record is improving.”
“So we don’t need to run and tell the king the sky is falling?”
“The Hook already did. Needless to say–now the sun is out.”
Looks wet in my backyard- big puddles and still a prediction of heavy rain this afternoon. I’m taking my umbrella to work.
its going to rain….(snore)
This rain looks like more than a snore –running out to clean out the drain so the basement doesn’t flood; lots of yellows on the weather map coming our way.
yaaaawwwwnnnn…..what was that you were saying? i was asleep. give me some red-purple and we’ll talk