Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Kentucky drought drying up ponds, killing fish

From yesterday's paper:
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071014/NEWS01/71014016/1008/NEWS01

Most of the ponds and lakes around here are 2-3 feet low, the story mentions one that's 9 feet low and insinuates there are many that low. I haven't seen any that are nearly that low. It hasn't been that dry around here, 9.5 inches less rain than normal but we've still had some rain every month.

The ponds having issues, and specifically that one down 9 feet, must be leaking to begin with wouldn't you think? Maybe normal precipitation is enough that the leaking doesn't matter. This is nothing near the kind of extreme droughts many of you Texans are accustomed to, so I was a bit surprised to see this article.

I think you're right, a body of water 6-7 feet lower than the rest of the ones in the same area must have a leak.

I'm 2 feet low here in Ohio - 16 inches farther down than any previous year, 2002 to date.

I'm down 3', 2 1/2' lower than last year. 9' would have to be a leak. What rain we've had this year has been light and steady so I haven't received the surface drainage that usually tops my pond off in midsummer. I'm near the minimum recommended watershed for my size pond in my area.

Many of the ponds in our area are gone. Five feet low is about average here now and we are entering what is normally the dry season. Mr. Harrison's small pond is mostly clay and holds water like a cup. Unfortunately the area that supplies the runoff is so dry that it absorbs all but the heaviest rains and his pond is down 5 1/2 feet. Luckily it's 10 feet deep at full pool so there's enough water that I can start to stock some fish soon.


(clicky)

Here is a link to the drought monitor map.

http://drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html

I have heard that with a La Nina develpoing that the SE probably won't see any relief soon.

cmb I'm only about an hour or two west of you and about 2 1/2 feet low in my pond. They are predicting rain for tonight and tomorrow though!

Cam

Another rainfall map.

Same info as the one Shorty linked to, with a different presentation. You change the map with choices from the left side of the webpage.

My pond level has dropped about 16" from normal pool.I've seen it this low in the late 80's,so its been a while. Other ponds I manage are lower still,around two ft or more. On the bright side,I usually pull my pond down three ft in the fall,for the winter,anyway.So I won't have to open the valve for long!Surface temp to 12 ft. deep 62 degrees.

My area of southern middle Tennessee is in the exceptional drought area. Nearly all of my neighbors are out of water. Luckily, our spring is still running. However, if we don't get some significant rains this winter we will be living in the desert southeast.

CMB here in Central KY I know of about 5 ponds that are dry. Many of those are the more shallow cattle ponds, but they are dry as a bone. Paint Lick Creek that runs through the farm I hunt is dry and it's not a small creek by any means. At the point it crosses the farm it looks alot like Elkhorn Creek in Frankfort. My pond is about 4 foot low right now but I do have a small leak in it.

Also hay is going through the roof. I think someone said a round bail was about or going to be $80 and this for just field grass. I have 7 acres and I have only cut my lawn about 8 times this year. I would say, at least where I live, it's the worst I have ever seen.

I live in SE Alabama and we're in the exceptional drought area too...2 years in a row of drought...

I sure picked a BAD time to dig a pond! Had it dug last October, saw it full for a while, added some fish...well, it's dry as a bone right now.

I live in north central Tennessee, just south of the Kentucky border. The drought here is the worst I've ever seen, and they are saying on the news that it is the worst drought in 170 years. (Did they track this stuff 170 years ago?)

I have two ponds on my property and both are bone dry and have been for a while. I drive past several ponds on the way to and from work and all but 2 are completely dry. We have a little creek behind our house and it's been dry for 2 months. (Built the house 6 years ago, and it's never been dry before this year) It's really bad here. We have gotten rain 3 times in the last week, but it's been light. There hasn't been a runoff producing rain in several months. My parents have a bunch of ponds on their farm in Kentucky a little north of here, and they have gotten a lot more rain than we have.

Eric

My sister in law lives in KY. She said that the drought killed a lot of deer and the hills of KY are stinky now.

...I don't remember...

Cam

This is what the problem is. Not exactly the drought. I've found two dead deer on my property and haven't even looked around. From KY Dept of Fish & Wildlife Site:

"Frankfort, Ky. – Kentucky’s first frost in the coming weeks should put an end to the state’s outbreak of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in deer. Biting midges or gnats, which transmit the virus that causes the disease, die off with the first hard freeze. Kentucky’s first frost of the season typically occurs from late September to mid-October.

Biologists with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources report this year’s outbreak of hemorrhagic disease is the worst in at least 30 years. Similar outbreaks have been reported this year in Tennessee, Indiana, West Virginia, Virginia and southwest Pennsylvania. Although the outbreak is widespread, only a fraction of Kentucky's one million deer have been affected and no changes are planned to the state's hunting seasons due to the disease.

“Hemorrhagic disease is caused by a virus. We see large outbreaks about every five to seven years in Kentucky,” said Danny Watson, a wildlife biologist with the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.

In Kentucky, the disease is responsible for the deaths of white-tailed deer in at least 76 Kentucky counties this year.

The most significant outbreak appears to be in Western Kentucky, where all 25 counties of the Green River Wildlife Region and most counties in the Purchase Region have received reports from landowners accounting for over 700 dead deer. The virus is also on the increase in Central Kentucky, where 20 counties have been confirmed to have dead deer. People usually find the dead or weak and emaciated deer near water.

“This year’s statewide drought could be playing a role in the outbreak, said Karen Alexy, wildlife division director for Kentucky Fish and Wildlife. “Dry conditions are concentrating deer near water sources, increasing the chances of midges biting infected animals then transmitting the disease to healthy deer nearby." The virus cannot be spread from a deer carcass."

Is EHD what is sometimes called "Blue Tongue"?

Yes, that's it. We have it pretty bad around here this year. Who knows how many were really lost.

Wonder how many poachers are out on my land today? Hubby stayed in bed and didn't go hunting this morning. I guess I could get a gun out and go poacher hunting. That's always more challenging that hunting deer

Cam

Seems like drought has gripped a lot of the nation. El Dorado county has had a very rough year and now all predictions are that with the La Nina effect we will be in for a tough 2008 as well. I have a feeling that DIED and I will be tough shape next summer.

This thread is tough for me to read. We spent 8 years watching the sky and seeing ponds dry up. The price of hay went through the ceiling and most of it was imported. Then, this year, we got record rainfall. I restocked one of my 1 acre ponds. Hay got so plentiful that the price of diesel made it almost unprofitable to cut.

Due to the rain, we have a bumper crop of acorns and deer aren't bothering to move. I haven't seen one in quite awhile and I usually see a lot of them. That's OK. I prefer a healthy deer herd.

We're keeping you guys in our thoughts and prayers.

The Fish and Wildlife Dept think the number of dead deer state wide due to EHD is around 3,000. Then I came across a thread on KentuckyHunting.Com and some one said they heard more like 100,000 state wide. I personally believe it's ALOT more than the 3,000 the dept states, but we will never know for sure. The out break is state wide, with just 3 or 4 counties that was not reporting any EHD deer (a few weeks back). I have read reports of people finding 30+ deer dead around their place. Here is a link to the 100,000 dead thread. Do a search on KY Hunting for EHD and read what people have been finding, makes you wander if the Dept. actually knows more than tey are telling.

Donnie

http://www.kentuckyhunting.net/forums/showthread.php?t=49673

Western KY ought to be getting some decent rain last night and today, as a huge cloud chain is blowing up from the Gulf and into Omichiana.

We are getting the rain! The pond is going up for sure.

Donnie, I sure agree with you on the dead deer being a whole lot more than 3,000. We called in the first one and thought they'd want to pick it up but they don't so when we came across the second one well we didn't even call it in. Neighbors didn't bother calling in theirs either. We don't even get around and walk that property hardly at ALL and found two so it makes me wonder how many more were out there. Could have been a whole bunch! Hubby said he probably won't take one this season and if he does it sure won't be a doe. He did plant several acres of something for them to eat this winter though.

There's usually around 2,500 deer harvested in our county each season (at least that's what's called in). It will be interesting to see how many are called in this year.

I found three dead deer on 2 tracts, 84 acres and 99 acres in western KY. I did walk that much. One realy nice 9 point and another heavy mass 8 pt. The 3,000 estimate is a joke. Being a biologist I have never heard of such a bad outbreak. The biologist I spoke with estimated 25% morts. in many counties with localized herds receiving as high as 40% mortality of mature bucks.

Hard to complain about rain but Theo your right. I left with a load of northern bass at 4:30 am from Carbondale IL, and have not seen blue sky all day. Very heavy at times. Made for fun driving while hauling a trailer, but NOT complaining I promise. Now I have to go home to sleep, see ya.

Greg those estimates where they per county or state wide? The dept estimates the herd right at 900,000. Thus 25% of 900,000 is alot more than the 100,000 that the KY Hunting thread stated.

Donnie

I think it was meant 25% just in some of the worst hit western counties. I would think 100,000 to be close to total from what I have heard. Carrying capacity is about 1 deer /15-20 acres, so to lose three deer on my 183 acres is signficant. Of course deer do not know boundary lines. I have good water so may have drawn in a deer that traveled off property to die by my water, but it stinks to loss a 120" plus deer that I let go last year.