Drought

A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region. Although droughts can persist for several years, even a short, intense drought can cause significant damage and harm the local economy.

Water services for the citizens of Rutherford County are provided by: The City of LaVergne Water and Sewer Department, The Town of Smyrna Water Treatment Plant, The City of Murfreesboro Water & Sewer Department, and the largest provider being the Consolidated Utility District. All of these providers utilize the Stones River and Percy Priest Lake for supply. Historically the county has done well with supply and demand; however there is always the risk of running low in drought conditions. 2007 was a tough year as much of the state experienced drought conditions. Many counties had to enforce water restrictions in a effort to decrease demand. Although at the beginning of 2008 Rutherford County still remained in the D4 – (Exceptional Drought) category, our water supply has remained stable. County officials have not yet had to restrict water use, but we highly recommend that you consider ways to reduce your consumption and conserve whenever possible. For further information on water conservation please see the provided links.

DROUGHT SURVEY CLASSIFICATION

D0-D4: The Drought Monitor summary map identifies general drought areas, labeling droughts by intensity, with D1 being the least intense and D4 being the most intense. D0, drought watch areas, are either drying out and possibly heading for drought, or are recovering from drought but not yet back to normal, suffering long-term impacts such as low reservoir levels.
A and H: Since "drought" means a moisture deficit bad enough to have social, environmental or economic effects, included is description of what the primary physical effects are:
A = agricultural (crops, pastures, and grasslands)
H = water supplies (rivers, groundwater and reservoirs)

Click on the image below to view current drought conditions
for the United States