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,,~{')~ ,:J -..i "...: t,J;. ''1: '."" CHRONOLOGY OF THE 1976-77 DROUGHT 33 bility study made for a supplemental supply of ground water, but has had no success. The reduced releases from storage in the Wisconsin River basin in the summer and fall of 1976 and in the summer of 1977 caused some periods of inefficient hydroelectric power generation which affected the opera- tions at the paper mills that rely mainly on hydroelectric power; therefore, the price of paper went up. The low flows were also detri- mental to the tourist business, water recrea- tion, and fishing. The below normal runoff into reservoirs and lakes meant lower water levels, and the owners of lakefront property complained. A drop of only a few feet in shallow lakes in Minnesota and Wisconsin is enough to expose large amounts of land nor- mally under water. The length of Lac Qui Parle in Minnesota was 1 mi shorter in the fall of 1976 than it was in the spring. The lower than usual lake levels and the low flows in streams in Iowa combined with the extra thick ice cover during the very cold winter of 1976-77 caused numerous fish kills. Statewide, water-supply problems were aggra- vated in 28 communities, some rural wells went dry in 56 of the 99 counties, and about 11 percent of the farmers had to haul water. The demand for permits for irrigation water in- creased from about 40 per year to more than 550 in 1976 and created a large backlog which triggered complaints from the applicants. Many wells that provided water for domes- tic use in rural areas in Illinois went dry, and water had to be hauled. Secondary effects are the lowering of property values because of the poor water supply and the possibility of in- creased rates for fire insurance because of the reduced amounts of water in stock ponds that can be used for fire fighting. Cloud seeding was tried by farmers in Coles County, Ill., about 170 mi south of Chicago; they claimed positive results. The added cost of hauling water for live- stock and dairy herds was enough to force some reductions in the number of cattle maintained and to put out of business a few producers who were operating on a marginal basis. Crop acreage in Minnesota was reduced, and losses to the farmers in 1976 was esti- mated as $1.45 billion. Though corn acreage fell 300,000 acres, wheat acreage increased 1.2 million acres in 1976. Some acreage in Iowa usually planted in corn was planted in soybeans which thrive a little better than corn in a dry year. Also, the density of corn planted was reduced 5 to 10 percent on a few farms to make more moisture available to each plant. Disaster designations were obtained by 185 counties in six States, and the governors of several States appointed special task forces to deal with drought problems. Missouri Basin-WRC Region 10 (upper part) The Missouri Basin has been divided into the upper and lower parts for this report be- cause the basin is too large and the drought conditions too varied to treat as a single unit. The upper Missouri basin (fig. 13) for the pur- poses of this report includes all of Montana east of the Continental Divide, the southwest half of North Dakota, all except the northeast corner of South Dakota, and that part of Wyo- ming east of a line roughly through the south- west quadrant of Yellowstone National Park to Rawlins. A recapitulation of the salient features of the 1976-77 drought follows. Most of the region had the most severe drought in this century with precipitation in some areas as low as 25 percent of normal for several months. April 1977 was the second driest April in 98 years in Montana. Runoff was very low, and storage in reserviors was reduced to record low levels. Ground-water levels generally declined, and many new wells increased the withdrawals of ground water. Water quality was adversely affected locally, and some changes in opera- tions of water systems were made to forestall other water-quality problems. Water rationing was in effect in several cities. Previous droughts in the 1930's were des- cribed by Hoyt (1936, 1938). Water years with low runoff over parts of the region include 1919, 1921, 1931, 1934, 1936-41, 1944, 1951, 1954-61, and 1966. This indicates that drought conditions are quite common in the region and that the severity and length of a drought are the main factors that distinguish one drought from another.