Three days of rain may have helped three months or even three weeks ago.

But showers the first part of October won’t be enough to rescue farmers, lakes and rivers from the effects of a tinder-dry summer.

“What it’s going to do is hinder the soybean harvest,” said Norraine Wingfield, coordinator of Douglas County Farm Bureau. “It’s too little, too late.”

Levels at Perry Lake hit an all-time low this week, and Clinton Lake is as shallow as it has been in nearly a decade. Canoers and kayakers on the Kaw River have spent as much time dragging their boats as paddling them on the parched river.

And the long-seared earth is likely to soak up every bit of the 1 to 2 inches of rain forecast through week’s end in the Douglas County area.

“Given the past dry conditions, the rain will probably have a minimal effect on the lake level elevations,” said Willem Helms with the Perry Lake Corps of Engineers.

The lake level there Wednesday was 886.21 feet above sea level, about 5 feet below average, Helms said.

“The major concern is for the boaters who are still out there,” he said. “We still are concerned for their safety.”

Richard Gwin/Journal-World Photo An umbrella protects this pair as they make their way through a rain-dampened crosswalk at Ninth and Massachusetts streets. As much as 1.75 inches of rain fell Wednesday on Douglas County. While the precipitation was welcome, it likely came too late to help out parched fall crops.

The same concerns have surfaced at Clinton Lake, where levels are about 2.5 feet below normal, said Jim Franz, park ranger with the Clinton Lake Corps of Engineers.

“We’ve had quite a few boaters damage their boats because our levels are so low,” he said. “I’ve talked to several people who say they’ve lost a prop or a lower unit of a boat motor by hitting a stump or a low area that’s out there now.”

As much as 1.75 inches of rain fell Wednesday in some parts of Douglas County. The gauge at Lawrence Municipal Airport showed 0.6 inches of rain by 10:30 p.m., and 0.56 inches had fallen at the 6News studios, Seventh and New Hampshire streets. 6News forecaster Ross Janssen said 1 to 2 inches, possibly more, could fall in Lawrence by Friday afternoon, when the skies should clear for the weekend.

¢ 6News video: Rain brings a little relief to the area¢See the latest radar and satellite photos and forecast¢Kansas Water Office drought reports¢Disaster assistance for farmers

But precipitation in Douglas County was nearly 3.5 inches below average in September, after a blazing summer decimated area crops and sapped ponds and streams.

“My neighbors’ ponds are dry,” said Kansas Riverkeeper Dave Murphy, who lives just south of Lawrence. “They’ve had fish in those ponds for years. Those fish have been eaten by the birds now.”

Murphy spent Monday and Tuesday walking the Kaw and said that some spots were so low that the water barely lapped at his ankles.

“Typically, even in the shallow areas, you’re going to at least get your knees wet and in most areas will get your waist wet,” he said.

Liz Hagen, Leawood, attempts to stay dry beneath what appears to be an inadequate umbrella, as she shops on Massachusetts Street. Hagen and her husband, Mike, got caught in the rain Wednesday as they were celebrating their 21st wedding anniversary in Lawrence. Both are KU graduates from 1981 and this was their first time back to Lawrence.

The long dry spell also means this week’s rains will muck up the river’s waters.

“Our cities have not had rain, so there is oil in the streets and antifreeze and defecation from pigeons and dogs and cats,” Murphy said. “That first flush of runoff is going to contain a lot of pollution. The water’s going to be dirty for a while.”

But as far as Douglas County farmer Richard Ice is concerned, any rain is good rain. Though the moisture is too late to salvage the soybean crop on his farm five miles west of Lawrence, it’s helping the grass grow so his cattle will get a taste of fall pasture before hay-feeding season starts.

“The crop’s so poor, I don’t think the rain is going to make any difference,” he said. “It’s been so dry. If the rain isn’t welcome by everybody, then they need to change their thinking because it’s good anytime.”