TIME commissioned renowned aerial photographer and photojournalist George Steinmetz to document the effects of the drought in Texas, New Mexico, and Georgia. On his journey, Steinmetz quickly found that even in the driest sections of the country, the cliched idea of the bowl of cracked earth and dust was neither common nor representative of the crisis. In many places, green on the ground was simply evidence of the intensity of water usage for irrigation, homes, and recreation. The effect of the drought can only begin to be appreciated when we see the lakes and reservoirs where the water is coming from, or what the land looks like when we are forced to stop watering.
Reporting by Alyson Krueger
Water levels in New Mexico’s Elephant Butte Reservoir in the Rio Grande Valley are at extreme lows.George Steinmetz for TIMEIn Texas, stranded boat docks sit on a dried-up creek feeding Lake Travis, which is over 26 feet below its normal level.George Steinmetz for TIMELamar Weiss of Pflugerville, Tx. cuts down a drought-ruined crop of milo intended for his cattle. The 84-year-old says this is the worst drought he has seen since 1956. "It's still green, but there ain't nothin' there."George Steinmetz for TIMEGolf courses in the New Mexico desert require large amounts of water to remain green. As drought becomes more common, tensions increase over water usage.George Steinmetz for TIMEThe lack of rain has made it difficult for ranchers to water their livestock, and ruined much of the region's pasturelands, forcing ranchers to sell their animals earlier than planned. These sheep and goats are heading for auction in San Angelo, Texas.George Steinmetz for TIMELivestock are being auctioned at double and triple normal rates, resulting in financial losses in the billions.George Steinmetz for TIMENormally rain would be enough to rinse the accumulated dust and sand from power transmission lines, preventing them from damage, but in an extreme drought, some power companies hire helicopters to hose the lines off, using tens of thousands of gallons of purified water in the process.George Steinmetz for TIMEA few green lawns dot the dry landscape of this residential development located between Austin and San Antonio. Cities in the South are increasing restrictions on residential water use.George Steinmetz for TIME"The Island," a resort on Lake Travis, is normally a peninsula surrounded almost completely by water. The level of the Lake has dropped, and it now sits on dry land, as do the neighboring boat docks.George Steinmetz for TIMEA wildfire burned a section of New Mexico's Bosque Del Apache Wildlife Refuge, which borders the Rio Grande, a year ago, and the land has not grown back since. The crop fields next door are heavily irrigated.George Steinmetz for TIMEMany communities are spending large amounts of money on water to keep their sports fields green through what they hope is a temporary dry spell. Others let the grass dry out and turn brown, like these soccer fields outside of Austin.George Steinmetz for TIMEBoat docks sit on the dry bed of the Pedernales River in Texas.George Steinmetz for TIMEThe rain came too little and too late for this failed watermelon crop in southern Georgia. Farm workers are planting a new crop in hopes that they can grow something in what's left of the season. George Steinmetz for TIMEA recent brief spell of rain is enough to provide a burst of green along the road in southern Georgia, but not to rescue the failed crops at left.George Steinmetz for TIMEOnly one in 11 public boat ramps on Lake Travis are open.George Steinmetz for TIMEMembers of the United States Geological Survey take routine water flow measurements of the Little River near Hahira, Georgia. The river flow this summer was one of the lowest levels ever recorded.George Steinmetz for TIMEA boat sits on a dried-up creek bed that normally feeds Lake Travis, Texas.George Steinmetz for TIME
