About one year ago U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander toured local farms, as the area was in the midst of one its worst droughts in more than a century.

A little more rain fell this spring compared to last year, however the yearly average has remained below normal and a dry start to early summer is not helping.

“It’s beginning to really affect crops,” Monroe County’s UT Extension Agricultural Agent Bob Sliger said.

As of late June, many areas in East Tennessee had fallen about six inches below normal on rainfall for 2008 after winding up more than a foot below normal last year and several inches below average for 2006.

The U.S. Drought Monitor currently lists much of East Tennessee as being in “severe” drought, which is an improvement over last summer’s rating when East Tennessee was in the worst possible rating, “exceptional” drought.

Sliger said decent rain in the spring and the lack of a late hard freeze like last year helped the first cutting of hay last month.

However, the seconding cutting of grass for hay is in danger if it does not rain soon.

Sliger also said decent spring rains helped keep things green during the spring but there was not enough rain to really help subsoil that is still dry after a very dry 2008.

Crops are not the only things affected by dry weather.

Drought conditions can also affect water supplies.

The cities of Madisonville and Vonore get water from the Tellico Area Services System, which pumps from the Tennessee River-Tellico Lake water systems.

Sweetwater Utilities Board and Tellico Plains city water customers get their water from a different source.

The level of Sweetwater Creek is something the Sweetwater Utilities Board monitors closely.

“We are OK,” Sweetwater Utilities Board Water and Sewer Treatment Plant Director of Operations Scott Horne said of SUB’s current water supply.

But he acknowledged a recent trend toward drier weather is showing up.

“The creek is starting to get down just a little,” he said.

Even if rain does not come soon, hope is eventually on the way for more water for SUB.

Horne said SUB’s project to connect to the Tellico Area Services System’s water supply is progressing well even though workers have run into some rock that has made digging a little tougher.

When the connection to TASS is made later this summer, Horne said TASS could potentially supplement up to 20-25 percent of SUB’s water supply.

Tellico Plains city water customers rely on a series of wells for their water.

Tellico Plains Mayor Roger Powers said he believes the wells are holding up but noted water usage is up as the town’s population grows.

He said the Water Department will likely tie into the TASS system nearby and will have that as a water supplement in the future.

New wells will also come on-line soon.

Powers said preliminary tests indicate the new wells will do fine but ironically, a big rain is needed for officials to be able to do a final bacteria test on the new wells.

There are better chances of rain this weekend, and a storm Friday brought more than an inch of rain to some locations. But rain not chances is what is needed, Sliger said.

tommy.millsaps@advocateand democrat.com | 337-7101