Recent rain replenishes struggling streams

From staff and wire reports
Published: August 29, 2008

This week’s storms dumped 5.57 inches of rain in the Charlottesville area, the fifth-highest August total for a “single event” during 110 years of record-keeping at the McCormick Observatory, according to Jerry Stenger of the University of Virginia Climatology Office.

The highest total was 7.93 inches, recorded in 1942.

The storms, brought on by the remnants of Tropical Storm Fay, helped replenish the area’s watershed, pushing the total rainfall in August to 40 percent above normal, Stenger said. The rainfall amount for the summer is also above normal, and for the year the area is right where it should be, Stenger said.

Without this week’s rain, this month could have been the driest August on record, Stenger said.

The rainstorm likely helped replenish the low groundwater levels, he said, but noted that those are difficult to monitor. Stream flows, however, “are up everywhere.”

Two of the area’s five reservoirs are full, according to the Rivanna Water & Sewer Authority’s Web site. The biggest, South Rivanna, is full and “that’s a really good sign,” Stenger said.

Elsewhere, the drenching rains are reviving parched pastures and hayfields and Virginia’s soybean crop, but they were too late for such summer field crops as corn.

Cattlemen count on two or three hay cuttings a season to feed their herds in the winter months. The dry summer has already forced some to bring their beef cattle to market early because of low hay and grass stores.

“If this [rain] greens the pasture up, and it should, that should save some cattle,” said Elaine Lidholm, spokeswoman for the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Bill McKinnon of the Virginia Beef Industry Council said the feed shortage follows one of the state’s worst growing seasons last year and amid rising feed corn prices caused by demand for biofuels. Cattlemen have had little choice but to bring their cattle to market a month early.

“They ran out of grass,” McKinnon said Friday. “The worst thing is that this is right on top of maybe our worst drought, so there was no carryover of hay supplies.”

Virginia has approximately 700,000 beef cattle, ranking the state 20th in the nation.

The rains were too late to boost the state’s corn crop.

Rains throughout most of the state helped replenish some rivers and ease water restrictions in some localities. Five counties — Amherst, Campbell, Dinwiddie, Not-toway and Prince Edward — are assessing drought conditions to determine if they should seek disaster declarations.

As for fall crops, “It’s a little too early to tell,” Lidholm said.

Lidholm said the forecast for fall crops is dicey.

Pumpkins need a lot of rain when first planted but prefer dry weather at the end of their season to avoid rot.

The Virginia Farm Bureau says the state’s wine grape crop is thriving thanks to the dry summer.

State viticulturist Tony Wolf says the crop is generally above-average in quantity. But Wolf said there is some concern for younger vineyards.

Harvest for Virginia’s wine grapes begins in mid- to late-August and runs through October.

The state ranks eighth nationally in commercial grape production and is host to 250 vineyards and nearly 130 wineries. The state’s top three wine grape varieties are Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Stenger said more rain could be on the way as the hurricane season is kicking into gear and it is expected to be more active than normal.

“I think there’s a chance for a lot more juice,” Stenger said.

Remnants of Hurricane Gustav, headed for the Gulf Coast, is next in line.