Heavy rainfall in May relieves drought conditions districtwide

May brought average to above-average rainfall to the St. Johns River Water Management District’s 18-county region and, according to the U.S Drought Monitor, relieved all drought conditions districtwide, with the exception of a small area in northern Lake County.

A full report outlining May’s hydrologic conditions was presented at the District’s Governing Board meeting Tuesday. Highlights include:

Rainfall

• Districtwide, May rainfall averaged 4.23 inches, which is .77 inches above the average for the month.
• Districtwide, the cumulative rainfall total for the past 12 months is 51.01 inches, which is .42 inches below the long-term average.
• Rainfall over the past 12 months was well below average in the northern counties, with Nassau, Duval, Baker, and Alachua all receiving more than 7 inches below average.
• Orange, Volusia, and Seminole counties all received more than 7 inches above the annual average.

Groundwater 

• At the end of May, Upper Floridan aquifer conditions (groundwater levels) remained mostly in the normal range throughout most of the District, except for a region in eastern Duval and north St. Johns counties, where aquifer conditions were in the low range.
• Groundwater levels expressed as a single districtwide index are at the 60th percentile, which is in the normal range for this time of year. 

Spring flows

• The mean monthly flow at Silver Springs is in the low range for this time of year at 510 cubic feet per second (cfs), or 329 million gallons per day (mgd), which is a 37 cfs decrease from April’s mean. 
• At the Blue Spring station in Volusia County, the mean monthly flow was 144 cfs, or 93 mgd, which is in the normal range.
• At Rock Springs, the monthly mean flow decreased slightly but remains in the high range with a decrease of 1 cfs to 61 cfs (39 mgd).
• Mean monthly flow at Wekiwa Springs is in the high range for this time of year at 67 cfs (44 mgd). 

To learn more about rainfall totals and other hydrologic data collected, visit www.sjrwmd.com.     

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About the St. Johns River Water Management District

St. Johns River Water Management District staff are committed to ensuring the sustainable use and protection of water resources for the benefit of the people of the District and the State of Florida. The St. Johns River Water Management District is one of five districts in Florida managing groundwater and surface water supplies in the state. The District encompasses all or part of 18 northeast and east-central Florida counties. District headquarters are in Palatka, and staff also are available to serve the public at service centers in Apopka, Jacksonville, and Palm Bay. 

For more information about the District, please visit www.sjrwmd.com.