The natural disaster designation allows the

With so much talk about global warming and climate change, that would seem to be the likely culprit for drought so extreme it has dried up dozens of wells in pockets of Genesee County.

However, Stephen Shaw, associate professor for environmental resources engineering at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, says it might be much more random than that.

Shaw has just completed a 20-year analysis and a report about dry wells across the entire northeast. He found that a drought in 2016 was “pretty intense,” especially across Western New York and Buffalo in particular. That didn’t match what these towns — the volume of households — in Genesee County have experienced, he said.

Due to the moderate drought conditions present throughout Genesee County, starting Monday Dec. 4, the Town of Pembroke will fill approved water containers for town residents by appointment between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday at the Town Highway Garage, located at 1145 Main Road. 

If you’re a Town of Pembroke resident and in need of water, please call the Town Clerk at 585-599-4892, Ext. 102 or 103 and please leave your name and phone number to schedule an appointment.

There isn't much water flowing in the Tonawanda Creek, but the blue heron are still there hunting for meals.

Genesee County, like the rest of Western New York, is officially in a drought warning, according to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

That means there are no official restrictions on water use, but residents and businesses are asked to voluntarily conserve.

Tim Hens, whose responsibilities include, as county highway superintendent, watching over the county's water supply, said the county and city discussed issuing a water advisory, but decided that doesn't appear to be necessary and probably won't be necessary through the summer, even if no significant rain arrives before winter.

"We haven't had more than an inch of rain in a single day since October of last year," Hens said. "That's a long time for Western New York."

He said this is the dryest summer with the most consecutive sunny days he can remember in 45 years as a county resident.

"Unfortunately, we're probably already past the point of no return for farmers," he said.

Hens said current reserves and the available water from the Monroe County Water Authority gives the county, and by extension, the city, enough water to meet current needs and he doesn't anticipate a spike in demand.

"Most people seem to have given up on their lawns," he said.

The low water level at DeWitt Recreation Area has created a wide land bridge to the lake's island. The land bridge has been exposed all summer and the first time it's appeared in several years. The current level is just 3 inches above the record low, a record set in 2001.

The long-range forecast calls for a pretty snowy winter.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo issued a statewide residential open-fire ban last week, and today, Tim Yaeger, Genesee County Emergency Services, urged residents to use caution with any type of fire.

While a small cooking or camping fire is permitted, larger fires, such as a bonfire are out of the question, Yaeger said.

All fires should be no closer than 50 feet to a structure and some sort of extinguishing agent should be within 50 feet of the fire.

"That's the New York Fire code anyway, but we don't want to wind up with the possibility of a fire spreading," Yaeger said.

This time of year, the kind of open burns associated with rural areas and agriculture aren't too common, but people still might be tempted to start fires for recreational purposes and in those cases, extreme caution is in order.

On average, Batavia received about 3.5 inches of rain in July. So far this month, not even a half inch has fallen and precipitation totals for the year are off by more than six inches from average.

The lack of precipitation creates another problem for firefighters -- less available water to fight fires in areas without municipal water.

Typically, when there are no hydrants to connect to, firefighters draw water from nearby creeks and retention ponds.

Yaeger said what he's seen of retention ponds and other standing water sources is that water levels remain adequate but are getting low.

Drawing water from brooks and streams right now might be more difficult for firefighters.

"Brooks and streams are pretty much out of service right now," Yaeger said. "Luckily, in this county, with the additional municipal water services has eased the burden from what it was 10 or 15 years ago."

If there is a fire with current water supply conditions in an area without municipal water, Yaeger said, it will mean scene commanders will need to request additional tankers from mutual-aid departments in order to maintain an adequate water supply to fight any type of fire.

All residential brush burning is banned in the state through Oct. 10.

In issuing the ban, Cuomo said, "These conditions should not be taken lightly. The potential for disastrous wildfires is present in all areas of the state and we must do whatever we can to prevent fires from occurring.

"The state will continue to closely monitor the wildfire danger and we will deploy whatever resources are necessary to protect New Yorkers should a critical situation occur."