BY DAN HILDEBRAN
Lake Brooklyn experienced a three-tenths of a foot drop in water level during December, resulting from Clay County receiving less than one-half of its average monthly rainfall, according to the St. Johns River Water Management District.
Timothy Miller, the district’s bureau chief of Water Resource Information, said that during December, 17 of the district’s 18 counties received below their monthly averages, with counties in the north receiving less than one-half of the monthly average.
“Looking at rainfall over the past 12 months,” Miller said, “the district-wide annual rainfall total is 2.85 inches above the annual average of 51.01 inches.”
The bureau chief added that northern and central counties have received the most additional rainfall throughout the year, with two counties, Nassau and Volusia, receiving more than 60 inches in total annual rainfall.
Miller said that groundwater aquifer conditions are high in western Clay and Putnam counties and all of Alachua, Marion, and Lake counties. Other areas along the coast saw aquifer groundwater levels in the normal range.
