North Carolina is a state rich in water. But the 2007-08 drought – the worst since we started recording droughts in 1895 – illuminated just how vulnerable our water supplies can be.
The drought increased everyone’s anxiety and raised numerous questions. How could this happen? When would we receive the water we so desperately needed? Would my well go dry? Would I have to start bathing with bottled water? How much rain did we need to get out of the drought? How could streams be going dry even when we experienced a few days of rain?
One of our agencies, the N.C. Division of Water Resources, has put together a book called “The Water Connection – Water Resources, Drought and the Hydrologic Cycle in North Carolina” to answer those questions.
The “Water Connection” makes it easy to understand drought, how it affects us, why we periodically endure dry patches, how the state is preparing for future droughts and many other basics. It also addresses the relationship between surface water and why it’s more important than ever that we all do our part to conserve water whenever possible.
If you would like to learn more about our most precious natural resource, we’ve made it easy for you to download a copy of “The Water Connection” from the state’s Division of Water Resources’ Web site, www.ncwater.org.