Drought or Poor Luck
By Amy Williams
Wells are running dry, rivers are low and springs aren't producing water. So it leaves
one to assume Cashiers and the rest of Jackson County are deep in drought.
Or are they?
According to Cashiers Weather Service, rainfall is not as far off from normal as
people might think. But well-drillers seem to admit drought.
Page Bernstein of Cashiers is one of many whose well has run dry. He had to drill an
extra 100 feet deeper for his well to find water again. He feels that this is a result of
recent development that began to drain the water table. When that happens, it takes
a while for the water table to rise again.
"When everybody starts doing their thing in the morning or there's a big drain, the
water table is going to go down," said Bernstein. "All of us are being our worst
enemy, so to speak."
Bernstein said there are two families on his well and he doubts that they pulled the
water table down by themselves.
Dennis Holland of Dennis Holland Well Drilling Inc., on Highlands Rd., said that wells
running dry are usually a reflection of a rain shortage.
"All the water we have here is rain water," said Holland. "Over time it's worked its way
down into the bedrock. If we go long enough without rain, it will start affecting us. But
it won't start right away."
According to Cashiers Weather Service, rainfall so far this year is 30.03 inches,
making up almost 40 percent of the 70 inches Cashiers averages every year.
"We had 26.22 inches of rain through June 30. We actually have more rain at this
point than we did last year," said Chronicle weather columnist Justin Caudell.
"Statistically, we're not that far off. I'm sure we'll make our average at the end of the
year."
Rainfall, however, may not be the only factor in water shortage. Apparently, snow
plays a big part in maintaining the water table, since it is able to soak slowly into the
ground.
"We haven't had much snow in the winter time," said Holland. "The ground can
absorb it better. If you get a good rain, 90 percent of it will run off, but snow can sit
and absorb slowly."
Caudell said the average snowfall per year is 21 inches. This winter's snowfall was
nine and a half inches, the bulk of it coming in a January storm.
"Cashiers is an area where your bedrock is very shallow," said Holland. "You know
it's going to be affected quicker than areas where you have a lot of overburden on
the bedrock, which is all the soil that's laying on top of your bedrock. It makes the
water run off and it's slower absorbing the water."
Another reason wells may be running dry is because a lot of the rain has been
coming in bulk storms, which doesn't give the ground time to absorb the rain slowly.
When rain is scattered out across a long period of time, it doesn't run off as easily.
"We are receiving rain, we're just receiving it all at once," said Caudell.
Although extreme water restrictions have not yet been set, Cashiers residents may
want to start thinking about how much water they really need.
"I would only say, don't waste water, just use what you need for the necessity of the
house and let it go at that," said Holland. "There's no need wasting water."