2008 Drought Watch (June update)

This will be the last photos tracking the water level of the Irrigation Pond at the PAR vegetable garden in Cowpens.

June 2008


There has been no significant rain since early May.

This photo on June18th will be the last photo in this series.

Water is now trucked into the garden.
The tank provides about 10 minutes of irrigation

May 2008

The pond has not changed
in spite of average Jan.-May rainfall.


April 2008

In spite of
average Jan.-April rainfall
pond level is unchanged

March 2008

As of March 20th
Rainfall is 9.95" for the year
Jan-March average is 9.75"


February 2008

3.5" + 1.95" +3.55" = 9.00" (Dec- Feb)
Nno improvement in the irrigation pond
in spite of Dec. thru Feb. rains


January 2008

Over 6 inches of rain in the last 30 days

This is a dramatic demonstration of the minimal impact for spring planting if we only receive 'average' rainfall:
5.5 inches (average = 4.8)


There is no perceptable change in the condition of the irrigation pond

December 2007

The pond in mid-December


This view would normally be under several feet of water


A closer view from the opposite end

November 2007

View of the pond from the PAR garden by Thanksgiving

The pump intake area is high and dry in the rain-starved pond


The pump intake area is high and dry in the rain-starved pond

October 2007

By Fall the pump intake was high and dry

The pond continued to shrink

Irrigation pipe snakes its way from the garden
to the dried up pond

Spring and Summer 2007

The irrigation system was completed in the spring (the full pond is in the background)

The pond provided much-needed water during the dry summer months

Tthanks to the irrigation system the yield was over 1 ton for the season