LACEY, Wash.—Washington officials are preparing to declare a drought emergency, reviewing water supply forecasts and lining up money to make the most of every drop.
Officials from state agencies, cities, tribes and irrigation districts met Tuesday for a comprehensive review of 62 watersheds.
More than half, 33, were marked down as likely this summer to have less than 75 percent of their normal water supplies, the benchmark for a drought declaration.
Only seven watersheds, all in the northeast, were chalked down as, for now, safe from drought. They are the Methow, Lower Lake Roosevelt, Upper Lake Roosevelt, Middle Lake Roosevelt, Upper Lake Roosevelt, Kettle and Pend Oreille.
The other watersheds went down as too close to call—either because of a lack of information about snow and river flows or because conditions were hovering around the 75 percent mark.
Many watersheds facing drought have received above average rainfall over the winter, but warm temperatures have made snowpacks a fraction of their normal levels.
“We have a lot of areas in the state, based on snowpack conditions, forecast to have flows significantly below normal, even in some places reaching extreme conditions,” the Department of Ecology’s drought response coordinator, Jeff Marti, said.
Marti presided over Tuesday’s meeting of the Water Supply Availability Committee. He planned to present the review Wednesday to state agency directors. The directors will talk about the hardships a drought might bring and make a recommendation to Gov. Jay Inslee.
“I can tell you the governor’s office is ready and primed to move forward with a decision, if the executive committee makes the recommendation tomorrow,” Marti said.
Washington has not declared a drought since 2005. The DOE, based on its experiences then and in the drought year 2001, has asked lawmakers for nearly $9 million for drought relief. The money would go for such purposes as drilling and deepening wells, adding pumps and pipes, plugging leaks and lining canals, and buying unused water waters.
During the last drought, most drought-related responses were in the Yakima Basin.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation forecast Monday senior water rights will have full supplies, but junior water rights will have 73 percent of their normal supply. The five Yakima Basin reservoirs are nearly full, but snowpacks are extremely low, according to the bureau.
The same conditions—enough rain but far too little snow—prevail throughout the state.
State climatologists predicted spring won’t bring relief, with a drier and warmer than normal season expected.
Reservoirs, swelled by winter rain, may blunt drought impacts in some areas.
The Northwest River Forecast Center predicts the Columbia River will have more than 80 percent of its normal summer flow.
Source: www.capitalpress.com