EASTERN IOWA — Despite an inch and a half to three inches of widespread rain Wednesday in eastern Iowa, it may not be enough to change the drought conditions we just fell back into earlier this year.

Most of the state has experienced some sort of drought over the past four years. This ended because of the rains at the beginning of the year. However, with the rains drying up since late summer, drought conditions have started reappearing in the state.

Drought conditions can impact everything from landscaping to farmers and their crops to recreational activities over the years. The effects of drought are also being felt in our waterways. Although falling water levels may be obvious, the strain on our region’s waterways creates a bleak outlook for aquatic life in winter.

Dry conditions tend to lead to lower stream flows, which can become critical as temperatures begin to drop, leaving little room for fish when their environment begins to freeze over.

Earlier this year, excess rain across much of the Upper Mississippi Valley resulted in higher than normal flows. By late summer, the rain stopped falling, putting rivers and streams at very low levels for much of the fall.

When this happens, many fish move to where they can overwinter, i.e. the deepest holes, but the deeper they are, the better their chance of retaining oxygen at a sufficient level to survive. But if they’re stuck in a shallow, slow-moving area, they could almost freeze to the bottom. If we don’t see improvements or we don’t have a mild winter season,” said Scott Grummer, fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Even though the region received an entire month’s worth of rain over the course of about a week, the state is still suffering from a severe drought. So, as long as the ground remains dry, flows could very well return to lower rates. This would put local fish populations at risk over the coming months, especially if we were faced with a cold and harsh winter.