City Of Fargo: The City Of Fargo Provides Weekly Drought Update

Press release from the City of Fargo:

09/02/2021

On Monday, August 23, the Fargo City Commission enacted Phase III of the Fargo Drought Response Plan. As a provision of Phase III, the City will provide weekly drought status updates for the public.

Since August 23, the region has received significant rainfall from several storm events. This precipitation in the Otter Tail River Watershed and Sheyenne River Watershed has led to increased streamflow in both the Red and Sheyenne Rivers (the two major water sources for The City of Fargo.)

Available drought-indicator metrics have steadily declined since August 23. However, the Palmer Drought Index and Standard Precipitation Index (two of the four metrics used to determine the Drought Response Plan phase) have not been updated since early August. When updated data is available (the week of September 6), City staff will have enough information to recommend either maintenance of a Phase III designation or a shift in phase.

“Recent rain has been tremendously helpful in alleviating drought conditions, but it is critical we have a complete dataset when determining the proper Drought Response phase. I also want to thank the residents who have taken Phase III watering restrictions seriously and stepped up to help reduce water usage over the last few weeks,” said Fargo Water Utility Director Troy Hall.

This press release was produced by the City of Fargo. The views expressed here are the author’s own.