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Drought conditions spurred brush fires, tighter water restrictions and at least one political controversy in 2000.
By JIM ROSS
© St. Petersburg Times, published January 2, 2001
People were worried about computers and what they might do, or not do, when the calendar page turned to 2000.
The computers worked fine. The real Y2K problem in Citrus concerned a fundamental element of life: water.
Drought conditions worsened, continuing to transform lakes and ponds into bone-dry land. Brush fires, which are fairly commonplace, raged with unusual efficiency. Water restrictions, in place since 1998, remained in effect and even became more strict in early summer.
How bad was it? During a County Commission workshop in May, Commissioner Jim Fowler publicly prayed for rain.
The weather and the problems it spawned combine to earn top story honors for 2000.
Brush fires popped up here and there during the winter and spring months, but the big one came in March, when a fire blazed through 550 acres in northwest Citrus and burned a 2-mile path of destruction north of Crystal River.
The River Oaks Assisted Living Facility evacuated, as did many nearby residents. Seven Rivers Community Hospital kept a watchful eye but never had to move patients.
With water restrictions in place and "drought" a common word, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, commonly known as Swiftmud, drew criticism in April when it gave a Sumter County man permission to pump 5.4-million gallons of ground water to fill a quarter-mile ditch.
Why did he need the water? Airboat races. Swiftmud said the man met requirements to obtain a permit.
In May, Citrus County had the second-worst drought index in the state, with 727 on a scale in which 800 signifies desert-like conditions. Only Pinellas County was worse, with a drought index of 735.
Citrus and surrounding counties also earned a Level 5 on the fire readiness scale, signifying the most dangerous conditions. At about the same time, Swiftmud announced that the first three months of 2000 were the driest on record since 1915.
St. Petersburg Times news staffers were able to walk long stretches of the Withlacoochee River near Nobleton, as the river's flow dropped to an all-time low and lakes all over Citrus and surrounding counties dried up entirely.
Then relief came. Rain poured down in late May, particularly on Memorial Day. Rain fell by the bucketful in the middle of June, with storms dumping as much as 2.5 inches one day. Streets flooded and a downed power line electrocuted 10 cows grazing near Crystal Oaks.
The county lifted its fireworks ban and the drought index sank.
A huge corrective action seemed to be coming in mid September, when Hurricane Gordon bore down on the Citrus coast. But Gordon was downgraded to a tropical storm, and it dropped just 1 to 2 inches of rain here.
In the end, the summer rainy season produced about 29 inches of rain, which is about average. Still, that wasn't close to enough for the parched landscape, so Citrus residents finished the year the same way they started it: hoping for more precipitation.
So far, no good.
The dry season has been very dry, with October particularly parched.
Lakes are nearly 4 feet lower than they typically would be at the end of a dry season.
County government closed eight boat ramps in early December, saying low water levels made them unsafe to use.
The ramps were Eden Drive, Hernando, East Cove, Broyhill Estates, Duval Island, Withlapopka No. 1, Withlapopka No. 2 and Trails End.
This story includes information from Times files.