The West Fork of the Little Kanawha River
has a thin stream of water flowing downward
Is there drought a'comin?
A pencil thin flow of water was coming down the West Fork of the Little Kanawha River this week, an omen to dry weather that has beset the region.
The last drought here began in the summer of 1999. That year, farmers had to buy hay out of state because it was too dry for hay to grow here. Hay was brought into Calhoun. Even though West Virginia had seen periods of wet weather, up until this spring it wasn't enough to bring the drought to an end until four years later.
The Little Kanawha River rises in Upshur County flowing 169 miles to Parkersburg, covering a watershed of 2,307 square miles. Water flow is controlled by the Burnsville Dam.
The West Fork of the Little Kanawha rises at Nebo, Clay County and empties into the Little Kanawha at Creston, length 48 miles, a catchment area of 246 square miles. | 
