The year parches on

October rains brought brief respite from the drought, but dry weather returned, and extreme and exceptional drought conditions persist in the eastern half of Tennessee and parts of the surrounding states. Year-to-date rainfall deficits in the major river basins vary from 10 to 22 inches below normal. The rains were particularly beneficial on the Cumberland Plateau, but were insufficient to affect deep soil and water tables anywhere. Most rivers and creeks are at record low levels or low flows. The tropical storm season expired without any systems delivering a substantial impact. Atlanta’s water supply reached critical levels, triggering a battle with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over reservoir management. The Corps agreed to reduce flows out of Lake Lanier, pending approval of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which must guard the survival of downstream populations of the fat threeridge and purple bankclimber mussels. The City of Alcoa installed an emergency water diversion along the Little River in Rockford, piping water upriver so it flows past the municipal intake twice. Springs along the Appalachian Trail dried up, and other backcountry water sources vanished. Fisheries biologists said low water levels primarily impact large fish and may hurt non-native brown and rainbow trout more than native species.