In case you haven’t noticed, it’s been dry!

It’s getting hard to remember the last good rain. It’s been months since we’ve had more than a dust wetter. I call them “two inch rains” – two inches between the drops on the ground. According to the US Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Virgin River basin has only had 22% of normal precipitation this year – lowest in the state. The dirt outside is powder dry – deep dry. And there’s no rain in the forecast.

The blackbrush – a true desert survivor plant – has dropped all of the tiny leaves that it sometimes has and all life has retreated to the stems and roots in a desperate bid to stay alive. Some has lost the battle anyway. The bigger plants have deeper roots but they’ll start to go next. Even insects are coming to the little water dishes I keep outside for birds and chipmunks.

But when I go to St. George, I notice that all of the golf courses are lush and green! No drought there.

St. George is in the driest county in the second driest state in the country. But it has the highest per capita water consumption rate for desert cities in the U.S. at 335 gal/person/day. St. George has the highest per-capita water consumption rate in the state, and possibly the nation. Tucson, Arizona makes do with just about half of the per capita water consumption. In a state and county that consistently votes against all government subsidies and handouts, St. George has some of the cheapest water around thanks to government subsidies and handouts. But they want more subsidies and handouts to build the Lake Powell Pipeline.

Evidently, Washington County is only against the government giving money away to other people.

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(All data except precipitation statistics from a report produced by Colorado College in Colorado Springs, CO.)