Drought raising concerns about Ky. water supplies

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A one-two punch of drought and record-shattering heat is starting to raise anxiety levels about water supplies in some parts of Kentucky amid surging demand to keep lawns green and gardens producing.

Temperatures topped 100 degrees for a second straight day across the Bluegrass state on Friday. Bowling Green broiled in 110-degree heat, while temperatures reached 108 in Paducah and Middlesboro, 107 in Owensboro and 106 in Henderson and Hopkinsville.

As the dry spell worsens, some communities nervous about their water supplies are asking residents to voluntarily conserve water for non-essential uses such as washing vehicles and watering lawns and gardens.

"The raw water situation is concerning right now," Bill Caldwell with the state Division of Water said in a phone interview Friday.

Tompkinsville Mayor Jeff Proffitt said the lake that supplies water to his town of about 2,500 near the Tennessee border is down about a foot. Residents are being asked to voluntarily conserve, but the request could become more forceful if the drought persists, he said.

"If we don't get any rain in the next week or so, we could look at that," he said.

The two-week outlook for Kentucky calls for above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation.

Bowling Green endured its hottest June day on record when the thermostat reached 110 Friday, the National Weather Service said.

In eastern Kentucky, Jackson hit an all-time record high of 104, while Middlesboro set a record June high at 108, it said.

Forecasters predicted more blistering heat during the weekend.

Kenergy, a co-op that provides electricity to people in 14 western Kentucky counties, said it reached an all-time peak in use for June at 270 megawatts on Thursday. It didn't have figures yet for Friday's electricity usage.

Utility workers were among those sweltering in the intense heat as utilities churned out electricity to keep air conditioners humming.

"It can't get any hotter than it is today," said John Creech, who works at Louisville Gas & Electric's Cane Run plant. "I'm around heavy equipment on the coal pile and it is brutal."

LG&E beefs up its crews during heat waves so workers can take extra breaks.

Meanwhile, the triple-digit heat added to the misery from a dry spell hitting hardest in western Kentucky, where rainfall has been scarce since March and April.

The state climatologist's office put 24 counties in Kentucky's westernmost region in the severe drought category. In those areas, people face increased risk of wildfires, depletion of water supplies in shallow wells, springs and ponds and higher demands on water treatment plants.

The region's many farmers are facing low yields or crop losses.

Another 66 counties are in moderate to severe drought. That area stretches from portions of western Kentucky to the state's Appalachian region in the east. In those counties, the dry spell is hurting soil moisture and vegetation.

Caldwell said the intense heat and dry conditions more resemble what Kentuckians are accustomed to in late summer.

"It's highly unusual to have one start this early and then persist clear through the summer and into the fall," he said. "If that happens, then you've got one of those 1 in 50 or 1 in 100 (year) droughts."

Meanwhile, the hot, dry conditions stoked fears about wildfires erupting.

Burn bans are in place in more than half of the state's 120 counties due to tinderbox conditions.