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Water Levels Still Low in the Peoria, Ill., Area

Posted on: Monday, 24 October 2005, 21:00 CDT

By Steve Tarter, Journal Star, Peoria, Ill.

Oct. 25--PEORIA -- The growing season may be over but the need for water continues.

The need is for subsoil moisture at levels more than 20 inches below the surface, said Jim Angel, climatologist for the Illinois State Water Survey in Champaign.

"The Peoria area is 10 to 25 percent below normal levels for the subsoil areas 20 to 72 inches below ground," he said. "The top foot or so is alright but the lower levels are important to sustain a dry period." Drought conditions continue throughout much of the state, noted Bob Frazee, natural resources educator for the University of Illinois Extension center in East Peoria.

The weekly crop report, released Monday by the Illinois Agricultural Statistics Service, noted that 50 percent of the state reported subsoil moisture as short or very short.

"We're still in a drought even though the Peoria area has received several good rains. We're still very short on moisture. The impact will be felt on our trees, landscaping and on next year's farm crops," Frazee said. "It's not unusual for corn roots to go down four to five feet but if the subsoil is deficient in moisture, it makes it difficult for the roots to penetrate." At a recent river conference in Peoria, weather experts said the center of the Midwest drought moved from Peoria north to the Princeton area, he said.

While central Illinois has suffered for a lack of rainfall throughout the year, Peoria isn't as dry as the Quad Cities, said Angel.

"Peoria is down 12.6 inches but Moline is down 18.5 inches," he said.

The impact of the lack of moisture will make itself known in a number of ways besides a shortfall in crops, said Frazee. "We've seen a lot of wells go dry in the past six months. People have been hauling water. Many farm ponds and streams are at low levels. That could result in fish kills," he said.

The water shortage could affect duck hunters when hunting season opens this weekend, Frazee said. "A lot of your backwater lakes that ducks would frequent are very low this year," he said.

But lakes don't just serve water birds. The city of Bloomington derives its water from Lake Bloomington and Lake Evergreen. "It's a source of concern," said Rick Twait, superintendent of that city's water purification division.

Despite a drop in the water level at Lake Bloomington, the city has plenty to draw from, he said.

"We're still in pretty good shape. We learned from the drought of 1988-89 and acted on it," said Twait, referring to water control enhancements installed at Lake Evergreen.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Journal Star, Peoria, Ill.

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Source: Journal Star

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