Drought Causing Bone-Dry Conditions In The Everglades

THE EVERGLADES (CBS4) - From airboats to alligators, the drought in the Everglades is posing problems for everyone.

As fisherman Ed Jones attempted to lower his boat into the marshy water, he realized the water level was far lower than it should be.

"This is low, low water! You can see the edge of the bank because it's low," said Jones. "You never see that. Usually, the water's up on top of it."

While this area is usually under several feet of water, it is now bone-dry and speckled with mud patches.

Herb Schosnig of the Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue has noticed too.

"This is the driest I've seen it in the last seven years" he told CBS4's Ted Scouten. "We've had dry spells like this before, but again, this is about the driest I've seen it."

Back in March, Scouten visited the area and went out on an airboat with the Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue to see the dry conditions. Since then, things have gotten worse. This time, the area was so dry that they couldn't take the airboats out to revisit the same spot.

"It's so dry, you can't get out by airboat anymore, there's no water out in the glades to run on, so the only way to get out there is by an all-terrain vehicle," says Schosnig.

Even ATV's will have a tough time, as just about everything north of Alligator Alley has been shut off to anything with a motor.

While people are having a tough time dealing with the dry conditions, the wildlife is feeling the effects too. Alligators and birds are swarming to canals because their usual homes in the sawgrass have dried up.

For now, everyone is hoping for rain. But even if it doesn't rain in the area, rain from points north of the Everglades will eventually make its way down.

Hopefully, the area will get some relief with this week's wet weather.

CLICK HERE for a Everglades water depth map.