Southeast Drought Unrelenting

Georgia could follow Atlanta's lead and enact statewide water restrictions, as the drought plaguing the Southeast shows no signs of slackening. In Florida, though, the drought opened up an unusual opportunity: The chance to dredge contaminated mud from a polluted lake. The same drought that primed swamps for unprecedented wildfires hasn't relented. Large swaths of the Southeast are under "extreme drought" conditions, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor report. The entire region, from southern Ohio, through the Carolinas to Louisiana and Florida, is at the very least "abnormally dry," according to a story in the May 25 Los Angeles Times.