The drought in northern New Castle County is a serious one. It might be the 40-year drought experts predicted for the region back in 1994, when another water crisis loomed. The area has see-sawed between acceptable water supplies and drought and shortages ever since. Now, in 1999, we are experiencing a crisis.
Surface water is slowly, but steadily dwindling.
Wells are lower. The causes of the drought are not known. Meteorology has advanced significantly as a science, but much of its explanations are still informed conjecture. La Nina, cooling in Pacific Ocean waters, is thought to be the cause of this one affecting much of the Northeast. The explanations might help us understand weather phenomena, but they do little to drive us to respond wisely to the often drastic effects on the environment.