Subscribe to one of our news e-mail lists . Wheat farmers in Nebraska are predicting drastically reduced yields, and wildfires have scorched thousands of dry acres in Florida, Colorado and New Mexico. Irvin said he has asked Gov. Roy Barnes to request damage assessment reports for each county to support a request for federal disaster aid. The state has already imposed restrictions in the 15-county Atlanta metropolitan area that limit the days and hours when residents can water lawns or wash cars.
Similar measures go into effect across the state next week.
Residents of South Shore in northeastern Kentucky have also been asked to cut back on lawn sprinklers and car washes. This week Kentucky's bluegrass region slipped into the severe drought category on the Palmer Drought Index, which is released weekly by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The central and eastern regions of Kentucky are not far behind. Last week the state's Division of Water placed 60 counties on a water shortage watch, and officials expect more counties to be added soon. I predict a lot of systems are going to have to go on water conservation.