Getting ready to head to Naples? Watch this fiirst

I just recieved my weekly email from the USGA Green Section which is the agronomic side of the USGA. In the weekly email the USGA talks about current issues, challenges, and industry updates that are important for everyone to know about. In this week's update is a very good slide show and explaination about the drought gripping the midwest section of the country and how it is affecting golf!  You can check out the presentation by clicking this link >>> http://webcast.usga.org/usga/Drought_2011.pdf

Although we are not as severely affected by the drought, south Florida is still under water restrictions. Our water availability is gauged by the height of Lake Okachoobee which is still two feet lower than the historic average for this time of the year. One of the major reason for this is that we have not had a major tropical system hit Florida in almost three years. This water shortage in Lake "O" is going to cause the water restriction to stay intact and I am expecting in the Spring for the restrictions to worsen to phase II (30% reduction) or possibly phase III (45% reduction). I'm not trying to scare anyone, but this is what I'm seeing in the long term if we do not get a tropical storm to hit Florida's coast this season.

In fact, I received this email from South Florida Water Management...

Despite the recent rainfall, Lake Okeechobee remains far below normal August rainfall provided a steady soaking of the South Florida Water Management District’s (SFWMD) 16-county region, but much more rainfall is needed in anticipation of transitioning into the dry season next month. August rainfall was 3/4 of an inch above average, providing an average of 8.51 inches of rain throughout South Florida.


“The daily rainfall we experienced through much of August was ideal to recharge groundwater and surface water levels,” said Susan Sylvester, SFWMD Chief of the Water Control Operations Bureau. “However, we are entering the home stretch of the wet season, and we’re hopeful that this type of rainfall continues before the dry season sets in.”
From the Upper Kissimmee’s 8.59 inches in August to 9.33 inches in Big Cypress Preserve, rainfall helped to fill canals, lakes, rivers and groundwater. The rainfall was particularly beneficial on the east coast, where drought conditions were substantially alleviated. For the month, eastern Palm Beach County saw 9.84 inches of rain, 1.78 inches above normal, while eastern Broward County received 9.71 inches of rain, 2.28 inches above normal.


However, Lake Okeechobee remains far below normal for this time of year. As the back-up water supply for South Florida, the lake remains below 11 feet NGVD and is more than three feet below normal for this time of year.


In late August, Hurricane Irene remained offshore and drew moisture away from Florida, resulting in lowered rainfall totals, but the overall continuous rainfall throughout the month allowed the SFWMD to store as much rainwater as possible in preparation for the upcoming dry season.
Meteorologists are predicting a drier-than-normal dry season. In South Florida, the daily afternoon thunderstorms typically begin to taper off by mid-October. In the Kissimmee region north of Lake Okeechobee, rainfall totals typically decline even sooner, by the beginning of October.


IF THE REMAINDER OF THE WET SEASON DOES NOT PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT RAINFALL, SUCH AS A WELL-PLACED TROPICAL SYSTEM, THE WATER SHORTAGE IS LIKELY TO CONTINUE THROUGH THE SPRING. WATER SHORTAGE ORDERS REMAIN IN PLACE DUE TO LOW LAKE LEVELS AND THE PENDING DRY SEASON.