Drought challenges local farmers From the cover
The overview
Brazoria County total rainfall (May 1-July 31)
Brazoria County average temperature (May 1-July 31)
Inches
Degrees
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25 30
Like much of Texas, as of early September Brazoria County was in an extreme drought—the third- highest rating in the U.S. Drought Monitor’s scale. In response to the statewide drought in 1996, the 75th Texas Legislature enacted Senate Bill 1, which required public water suppliers to develop drought contingency and water conservation plans. The city of Pearland on Aug. 10 initiated Stage 1 of its drought contingency plan, which asks residents to adhere to twice-per-week watering schedules. Pearland triggers the plan when daily water demand surpasses 60% of Pearland Water’s available system operating capacity for three consecutive days, Pearland Director of Utilities David Sohns said. As drought conditions worsened, on Aug. 30 Pearland moved to Stage 2 of its drought contingency plan, which makes the watering schedules mandatory. Residents can be fined up to $2,000 for violating the restrictions.
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2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
SOURCE: NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION/COMMUNITY IMPACT
Stage 2 can be initiated once the city’s total daily water demand equaled or exceeded 70% of the current available system operating capacity for three consecutive days or by 75% for one day. Neighboring Friendswood and Alvin have not initiated drought contingency plans; however,
Friendswood began supplementing its surface water supply with its groundwater supply in early August due to dry weather and soil conditions. On Aug. 10, Brazoria County issued a burn ban, prohibiting outdoor burning on unincorporated spaces due to the drought.
Diving deeper
“Last year we had one pig that died from the heat. And then we had a couple of chickens and a turkey that died this year.” BILL GROVES, THE GROVES FAMILY FARM OWNER
The Froberg family has been farming since 1896 when they provided fruits for jellies served to train passengers coming through Alvin. Yet this year the strawberry crop is threatened. “The last really good rain we got was Mother’s Day,” said Tyler Froberg, owner of Froberg’s Farm in Alvin. “After that, things started to heat up, and the moisture quit coming.” Purple hull peas are one of the most important crops at Froberg’s Farm because Froberg uses the peas to fertilize the soil for other produce. By August, Froberg said he would have planted them once per month since the spring; however, with the drought, Froberg has planted them only once and lost the crop—a $10,000 revenue loss. Normally, Froberg plants two rounds of the peas before planting the strawberries, but due to the dry soil, he’s only going to be able to plant one round. While portions of Froberg’s Farm rely solely on rainwater, other sections have irrigation, but Froberg said the heat has not spared those crops. Farmer Bill Groves, who owns a family farm in Alvin, said he has lost multiple animals due to the heat. To prepare for this summer, Groves built shade structures for his animals.
Farmer Bill Groves inspects the shade structures he installed to protect his chickens and guineas from heat exposure.
RACHEL LELAND/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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