Wildfires are burning across Alabama as drought conditions worsen. Forecasters say there isn't enough rain in the forecast to lessen the threat anytime soon. The Alabama Forestry Commission reported that about 70 blazes burned around 730 acres of land on Sunday alone. The situation is worse in north Alabama, where drought conditions are most severe. The state issued a fire danger warning for 46 of Alabama's 67 counties last week, and officials said it will continue until rain returns to the state. The National Drought Mitigation Center reported that 86 percent of Alabama is abnormally dry, and northeast Alabama is particularly hard hit.
The Alabama Public Radio news team spent most of 2015 examining the condition of the state's water supply and its rivers. Click below for APR stories on the "politics of water," how irrigation could mean dollars for Alabama farmers, the threat of coal ash to impoverished communities, and "where you water comes from."