Long-term drought is nearly over

ATHENS - Large amounts of rainfall since September have nearly ended a long-term drought that has plagued Georgia since May 1998. <br> <br> The drought caused millions of dollars worth of agricultural losses, caused wells to run dry and forced officials to impose statewide water restrictions. <br> <br> To save water, the state paid some farmers over the last two summers not to irrigate their crops. <br> <br> Now, the state climatologist says four of the five indicators of drought rainfall, soil moisture, stream flows and lake levels are near normal or above normal. <br> <br> Groundwater levels, the remaining indicator, have been slower to recover. <br> <br> With more rainfall in the state yesterday, all major weather stations across Georgia were ending the year with more than 90 percent of normal yearly rainfall.

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