Water, Water . . .

The drought that gripped Washington in the summer of 1966 was one for the record books. Already suffering from several straight years of below-normal rainfall, the region watched and sweated as the precipitation deficit mounted. From May through August, when usually about 16 inches of rain fall to wet our lawns and keep the Potomac flowing, the gauges measured just 7 inches.

In the Maryland and Virginia countryside, it was a tough year for farmers. Clouds of dust rose from the hard-baked soil as it was prepped for spring planting, ponds and wells began going dry, and most of the counties around Washington were declared federal disaster areas. A dairy farmer in Herndon told the Washington Post his hay crop “wouldn’t feed a goat,” and yields were down in corn, soybeans, tobacco, peanuts, apples, peaches, and tomatoes. At the farmers market in Bethesda, the supply of sweet corn was so short that the price rose to a shocking $1 for a dozen ears.

In the heart of the District, lawns were brown and public fountains were shut down to preserve water—all reminders that drought may develop slowly but has devastating effects. Lady Bird Johnson, the First Lady who had made beautification of the landscape a national cause, was saddened to hear that hundreds of trees just planted along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway were dying and that watering of the White House flower beds was being curtailed. She issued a plea for citizens to dump leftover dishwater on their trees and shrubs.

from the Washingtonian (DC)