Fay Raises Water Levels

The lingering tropical storm that has dumped more than 2 feet of rain along the Atlantic Coast did not provide Hernando County with enough rainfall to raise the water levels above normal.

That is the early word from the Southwest Florida Water Management District, also known as Swiftmud.

"I think we'll see sound improvements from Tropical Storm Fay," said district spokeswoman Robyn Felix. "For the month of August, we were short on rainfall as of midnight (Thursday). We were only at 50 percent ... This rain may only serve as getting us to the average rainfall (level) instead of above average."

As a region, Tampa has received significant rain during the past few months, but Hernando County remained below normal for most of that time. By comparison, Pinellas, Hillsborough and Sumter counties were reporting above-average precipitation for several months.

The two-year drought will make it difficult for Hernando to catch up with the other counties in the area anytime soon, Felix said.

"I doubt even if we had a hurricane it would bring up the water enough," Parks and Recreations Director Pat Fagan said last month when referring to the area's low lake levels.

Instead of a hurricane, Hernando County was hit with a persistent tropical storm that soaked the area more during its second visit. It still has not been enough, according to Swiftmud.

Aquifers are underground layers of rock and sand that hold water. As of Wednesday, before Fay's return from the Atlantic Ocean, the northern section of the district - which covers Hernando, Citrus, Lake, Levy, Sumter and Marion counties - was .19 feet above zero.

Zero is considered the bottom of the normal range of readings. Anything higher than the numeral "4" is considered above normal.

On the same date in 2007, the aquifer level was nearly one foot below zero.

Friday's rainfall totals as of mid-afternoon went a long way toward bringing Hernando County to average levels.

As of midnight Thursday, the rainfall totals for the county were at 4.25 inches - 4.12 inches below normal.

At Chinsegut, 2.5 inches of rain were recorded between 12:01 a.m. and 2 p.m. Friday, according to Swiftmud.

There are four rain gauges throughout Hernando County. The district determines the area's rainfall for the month by taking the average from those four gauges, Felix said.