WABI speaks with Rebar for report on drought, low water levels
WABI (Channel 5) interviewed John Rebar, executive director of the University of Maine Cooperative Extension, for a report about how the lack of rain is evident around the state, particularly in Maine’s waterways. A resident who has lived on Hermon Pond for more than 35 years told WABI the water level is the lowest she has ever seen. “Folks should not be hitting the panic button,” Rebar said. “This part of the state is not in an agricultural crisis.” He added water conditions around Maine vary greatly. “In extreme southern Maine, it’s a severe drought this year compared to previous years. In northern Maine, they’ve had more than enough water. Here in central Maine, it is dry but not to the point of drought,” he said. The Maine Drought Task Force recently met for the second time in two months after not meeting for 14 years. And while there are no current water restrictions, officials are asking residents to plan ahead, the report states. “This has been a very dry year, it is not the most dry, it’s not the driest it’s ever been,” Rebar said. “But it is a year to pay attention to what’s going on.”