Watching the water supply

Hot, dry conditions put pressure on water supplies

Campbell Creek, the water supply for the community of Ryderwood, is a 

trickle due to a major lack of precipitation in Cowlitz County. Read more

on our statewide conditions webpage. Photo courtesy of Washington State
Department of Health. 

The fall rains can’t come soon enough.

Months of unusually warm and dry weather continue to put pressure on the state’s rivers and streams. Although some areas saw sprinkles earlier this month, rivers across the state continue to recede. In some cases, rivers are hitting new record lows. The Naselle River in southwestern Washington established a new historic low flow when it dropped to 16 cubic feet per second (cfs) this week. That’s roughly half of its normal flow of 37 cfs.

High temps in August

Although wildfire smoke moderated the heat a bit, the average daily temperature during the first half of August was about 3 degrees above normal. This contributed to more days above 90 degrees than usual. The Vancouver airport hit 90 degrees or hotter on 28 days this summer. That’s more than Spokane, which broke 90 degrees on 23 days. The average over the previous 20 years for Vancouver is 11 days. For Spokane, about 19.

Thankfully, this summer, we aren't expecting an official water supply drought emergency to be declared. It's been hot and dry, but water supplies so far haven't met the statutory threshold. Under state law, a drought emergency is defined by a two-prong test:

·          An area has or is expected to receive 75 percent or less of normal supplies AND

·          Undue hardships are likely to occur as a result. 

Official drought declarations provide us flexibility to authorize emergency wells and water withdrawals.

Tracking impacts

We’re working with other state agencies to track impacts from the warm and dry conditions.

The Department of Health tells us that multiple drinking water systems in western Washington have taken measures to reduce demand. Actions range from requesting voluntary or mandatory conservation (e.g., lawn watering restrictions) to more serious measures like hauling water.

Larger municipalities like Seattle and Tacoma say their water supplies should be fine for the season.

For fish, warm water temperatures can block migration. Emergency fishing closures are in effect on parts of the Columbia River to protect fish trying to find refuge in cooler water, according to the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

We are continuing to regulate water users in some parts of the state to protect senior water rights and adopted instream flows. Curtailment notices or orders have been issued in the Chehalis, Walla Walla, Methow, Similkameen, Wenatchee, and Skagit watersheds.

Read about more impacts on our water supply conditions webpage. We update it weekly.

By Kristin Johnson-Waggoner, communications manager

If fish could talk—what Palouse River fish are telling us

A big catch for clean water

Crews from the Department of Ecology and local Conservation Districts just spent six weeks collecting fish from the Palouse River in southeastern Washington. Collecting these fish is part of Ecology’s program that monitors fish in rivers and streams for contaminants.

The fish collected will help the agency measure changes in the water quality of the river. The fishing effort yielded 348 “keepers,” including suckers, pike minnow, smallmouth bass, chiselmouth, and carp.

Once the team of researchers finish collecting fish they are analyzed for harmful toxic pollutants, like PCBs and other chlorinated pesticides like DDT. 

Capturing just the right number, size, and species of fish at just the right location can make fish collection difficult. Researcher Keith Seiders of Ecology’s Environmental Assessment Program says that collecting fish in smaller rivers like the Palouse can be challenging, but it’s worth the effort.

Seiders: “It’s worth it because these fish in the analyses give us information that will help us make decisions that can impact communities and the way we do business for decades to come.”

What do the fish tell us?

Toxic chemicals used in the past can end up in the environment and get washed into rivers and streams where fish accumulate them. Even though some of these chemicals were banned in the United States more than 35 years ago and are no longer used, they persist in the environment because they can take decades to break down and become harmless.

Seiders: “Fish are a great collector of these chemicals because they’re in the aquatic system and everything flows downstream and into the waters. So that’s where we can measure these chemicals accurately in the environment. And it tells us about how widespread they may be."

Fishing for solutions

A 2005 study sparked communities in the Palouse watershed to take action to control pollution. Ecology worked with local governments to develop a water cleanup plan. This plan identified chemical sources and listed actions to address the problem areas.

Seiders: “The monitoring that our group does is so important to help provide the information to let communities and states and residents make educated decisions about how to address problems with pollution in their environment."

Reeling in results

Results from this year’s fish sampling will be compared to previous studies to see if levels of pollutants in fish have decreased, and the results will also meet a variety of other needs.

Seiders: “The results are used by [Washington State] Department of Health. They’ll look at the results to see if a risk assessment is needed for the levels of toxic contaminants in the fish. If they’re high enough, they will do more work and issue a fish consumption advisory.”

The results from this research are expected to be reported in 2019. The report will tell the agency about changes in the amount of toxic pollutants in the Palouse River since the 2005 study. It may even give Ecology and local communities some insight into how the water cleanup plan is progressing.

By Ruth Froese, Environmental Assessment Program Communications

Watching the water supply

While you’re out there enjoying this warm and dry weather, there’s another side to the story that we’re continuing to track: How these conditions are impacting state water supplies.

We are seeing dry areas around the state. NOAA is forecasting summer to be even drier and warmer than normal, so our dry conditions are likely to persist until the fall rains return.

This map from USGS shows about half of the 

streamflows in our state are at below-normal levels.
Learn more about streamflows at our statewide
conditions webpage. 

Currently, parts of the state (mostly southwest Washington) are experiencing moderate drought-like conditions. See the U.S. Drought Monitor map below for more detail. However, storage reservoirs for drinking water and irrigation are in good shape.

People and the environment depend on a healthy water supply. Impacts from the current dry conditions will likely most affect irrigators and fish. We’ll continue to track conditions on our website and this blog.

Are we in a drought emergency?

While drought-like conditions are evident, we’re not declaring a drought emergency at this time. Drought emergency declarations for the entire state or part of the state involve a formal, statute-based process. Conditions that could trigger a drought emergency are when water supply in an area is 75 percent of normal and there is an expectation of undue hardship because of deficient water supply. We are watching the situation closely.

Curtailment updates

We issue curtailment orders in parts of the state due to low flows in rivers and streams. Curtailing water use protects senior water right holders and adopted streamflows. Here’s an update:

• In June, we wrote about curtailing 300 junior water users along the Yakima River and its tributaries. Since then, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced that senior and pro-ratable customers of project water will receive 100 percent of their water supply this summer. This is an improvement over June, when Reclamation had forecasted 96 percent. Due to this revision, which Reclamation attributes to reduced demand during the month of June, we are notifying the junior water right holders in the basin that they may resume their diversions. 

• In the Methow area, irrigators with interruptible water rights will likely be regulated when river levels drop close to minimum flows. We will provide these water users with a hotline to check if they are allowed to irrigate.

As always, visit our statewide conditions webpage for information on streamflows, temperature, precipitation, and more.

We use several tools to assess statewide water supply conditions, including a weekly map from the U.S. Drought Monitor. This week’s map shows abnormal dryness and parts of the state, mostly in southwest Washington, experiencing moderate drought-like conditions.

By Kristin Johnson-Waggoner, communications manager

Watching the water supply

This blog post is part of an ongoing series about water supply conditions. Please click here to read the previous post. If you want to learn more, visit our Washington water supply information page.

Have we seen the last of summer’s high temperatures? The arrival of more moderate weather may feel like fall for many of us across the state. As we begin to transition into the next season, let’s check in on our statewide water supply conditions.

Status of our supplies

Weather impacts | Cooler and wetter weather is on the way. Over the next 10 days, Washington will receive much-needed rain. While the amount may be modest, it will help our rivers and streams rebuild to higher levels while lowering water temperatures.

The Walla Walla River in southeast Washington ran low in

August. 

Rivers and streams | This is the time of year when rivers and streams are at their lowest levels. The snowpack is long gone and rain has been infrequent, so rivers and streams are relying on groundwater. Currently, about 48 percent of our streams and rivers are at below-average levels compared to historical flows. Most of these are in the western half the state, though southeast Washington also has a number of low rivers. These dry areas have gone without their usual share of precipitation since early spring.

Last year, we experienced a record-setting drought that resulted in 70 to 80 percent of our rivers being below-average for most of the summer. But in mid- and late August, the weather turned cooler and thunderstorms rolled across the state, dropping the percent of rivers flowing at below-average conditions to 40 percent. Compared to last summer at the end of August, our rivers are actually faring worse because we haven’t had those big storms yet.

Agriculture | Most of Washington’s agricultural areas experienced a dry and hot August. Crops are doing well for the most part, but farm ponds and reservoirs are getting low. The large federal reservoirs used for irrigation in the Yakima River Basin are at about normal levels, which is good for farms and fish. Farmers in the Yakima region holding junior water rights are receiving 94 percent of a full water supply. Senior users have 100 percent.

Bull trout in Bumping Lake, a reservoir in Yakima County,

are heading up tributaries to spawn. Photo: WDFW

Fish | Low flow levels in rivers and streams can be tough for fish, but cooler overnight temperatures are helping. In the Puget Sound area, streams are averaging 1 to 3 degrees Celsius cooler than in 2015. To the north, the South Fork Nooksack River is about the same temperature as last year. The Chehalis River and nearby southwest Washington streams are running very low compared to normal. Good news can be found in the Upper Yakima and Naches river basins, where bull trout have started moving out of Bumping Lake and into streams to spawn. That’s encouraging after what happened last summer, when low lake levels prevented the fish from moving into Deep Creek, an important bull trout stronghold.

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife continues to watch for recreational rock dams that might impede upstream adult salmon passage.

Drinking water | Drinking water supplies are doing well. Seattle, Everett and Tacoma report normal or above-average water supplies.

How you can help

We all have a role to play in conserving water. Here are two ways you can make a difference:

• When washing your hands, turn off the water while you lather up.
• Don’t use your toilet as a wastebasket. Even better, use a leak-free, high-efficiency toilet. Toilets are by far the main source of water use in our homes – they account for nearly 30 percent of residential indoor water consumption.

For more tips, visit our water conservation page.

By Kristin Johnson-Waggoner, Water Resources Program communications manager

Watching the water supply

This blog post is part of an ongoing series about water supply conditions. Please click here to read the previous post. If you want to learn more, visit our Washington water supply information page.

Goodbye hoodies, hello flip-flops – summer temperatures are here! Despite the heat, our water supplies continue to be in good shape statewide. We can thank the recent cool, wet “Jultober” conditions for reducing water demand and improving water supplies. Those moderate conditions felt much different from last summer, when we were in a statewide drought emergency.

Status of our supplies

Weather impacts | If late June and early July felt cooler than usual to you, you’re not wrong. Average temperatures for the last month were within 2 degrees of average statewide, with most of the state being below average. Things changed late last week when the heat set in, especially on the east side. Yakima hit 102 on Monday, tying the record high for that day. Looking ahead, the weather is expected to cool off a bit in the coming days.

Precipitation amounts have been varied, depending on the region. Over the past 30 days, the north Olympic Peninsula has been drier than average while the eastern slope of the Cascades and southeast Washington have been wetter than average. Record daily rainfalls were recorded recently in Seattle, Kennewick and near Walla Walla. Flash flooding even caused some road closures in Chelan and Douglas counties.

Rivers and streams | As of today, 28 percent of rivers are below normal. Our rivers, in an aggregated sense, are just shy of normal flows. That said, in a few rivers – about 7 percent – flows are much lower than average or are at record low conditions.

Agriculture | The Yakima River Basin, our drought bellwether, continues to have a good water supply. Junior water users are being prorated to 90 percent of full supply. Last year, it was 46 percent. Summer storms have helped rivers in some areas, especially on the east side, and reduced the need for continual irrigation.

A bull trout navigates an upper tributary of the 

Yakima River. Photo: William Meyers/WDFW

Fish | Our fish are doing alright, despite some areas of high water temperatures. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife is monitoring conditions closely and may take action to protect vulnerable fish populations. Visit their website to learn more. Overall, the toughest part of the year for fish was spring, but this summer so far is better than last year.

Drinking water | Drinking water supplies in Seattle, Tacoma and Everett are in good shape.

What’s next

The Water Supply Availability Committee (WSAC) will hold its monthly meeting on Aug. 11. This committee is a team of experts from state and national agencies who review data and discuss potential water shortages. If conditions warrant, this committee can convene the Executive Water Emergency Committee (EWEC), which is made of state agency leaders with a stake in water supplies. These leaders assess findings from WSAC and determine whether water users in affected areas will likely incur undue hardships. EWEC can recommend the governor consider an emergency drought declaration.

How you can help

It’s easy to make water conservation part of your daily routine. Here are two tips that will save water and money:

• Wash only full loads of laundry or use the appropriate water level/load size selection on the washing machine.
• Want a nice, cold glass of water? Keep drinking water in the refrigerator instead of letting the faucet run until the water is cool.

For more tips, visit our water conservation page.

By Kristin Johnson-Waggoner, Water Resources Program communications manager

Watching the water supply

This blog post is part of an ongoing series about water supply conditions. Please click here to read the previous post. If you want to learn more, visit our Washington water supply information page.

Did you grab a jacket or sweater while celebrating the Fourth of July? The weather felt different from last year for lots of folks across the state. Our water supply situation is different, too.

In summer 2015, we were in the midst of a drought emergency. This winter, plenty of snow and rain helped reduce impacts from the drought, but a hot and dry spring concerned experts. Luckily, the recent run of normal-ish temperatures and precipitation have improved our statewide water supplies.

Status of our supplies

Here’s the latest on our water supply conditions as of July 6:

Weather impacts | Over the past two weeks, precipitation has been about normal statewide – within 1.5 inches of average. But the coast and northeast parts of the state, already dry from spring, have stayed on the below-average side.

Average statewide temperatures for the past 14 days have stayed within 0 to 4 degrees above normal. Water use is declining due to more moderate temperatures compared to last month. In Seattle, the city’s public utility reports that daily demand is down nearly 50 million gallons per day from last year.

This USGS map compares current (July 6) and historical stream flows in
Washington. Click here to see more.

Rivers and streams | Rivers are naturally at their lowest flows during summer, but our rivers are experiencing – and will continue to experience – the effect of drier-than-normal spring weather and rapid snowpack melt. Statewide, about 58 percent of rivers are below average. This is an improvement over the beginning of June, when 77 percent were below average. (This doesn’t mean river flows are getting higher. Rather, compared to the same time of year for the period of record, we are closer to average now than we were in early June.) Looking back, 79 percent of our rivers were below normal last year around this time.

 

Agriculture | The Bureau of Reclamation manages several large reservoirs in the Yakima River Basin, an important agricultural center, and releases forecasts of how much water farmers can expect from those reservoirs. Currently, the areas with junior water rights are expecting 86 percent. Last year, they were at 47 percent. Senior water right holders are expecting a full forecast.

Managers of sockeye salmon fisheries are closely watching water
temperatures. Photo: William Meyers/WDFW

Fish | River temperatures are on the rise, but we’re still better off than last year, when sockeye salmon and sturgeon mortalities were being reported. This year, enough sockeye have entered the Columbia River and migrated upstream from McNary Dam for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to open sockeye fisheries. Due to the debilitating losses of almost all spawning sockeye in the Okanogan River in 2015, fisheries managers are proceeding conservatively until it’s confirmed enough spawning fish make it into the Wenatchee and Okanogan rivers. As the run progresses upriver, sockeye seasons above Priest Rapids Dam are likely as long as water temperatures stay cool. Anglers should visit WDFW's website for more information.  

Drinking water | Drinking water supplies are not currently projected to be affected by shortages. Contact your local municipal water system to learn more.

What’s next

Tomorrow, the Water Supply Availability Committee (WSAC) will hold its monthly meeting. This committee is a team of experts from state and national agencies who review data and discuss potential water shortages. If conditions warrant, this committee can convene the Executive Water Emergency Committee (EWEC), which is made of state agency leaders with a stake in water supplies. These leaders assess findings from WSAC and determine whether water users in affected areas will likely incur undue hardships. EWEC can recommend the governor consider an emergency drought declaration.

How you can help

Outdoor water use accounts for nearly a third of daily water use by U.S. households. You can conserve water – and save money – by making a few tweaks to your outdoor routine:

• Purchase an inexpensive hose timer to avoid over-watering. Soaker hoses are also a great option for avoiding evaporation.
• Use a broom or electric blower to clean driveways and sidewalks, rather than hosing them off.

For more tips, visit our water conservation page. 

By Kristin Johnson-Waggoner, Water Resources Program communications manager

Watching the water supply

As the recent cool-down gives way to warmer, drier summer weather, we are closely monitoring our water supplies. Last year, a lack of snowpack and spring rain led to a drought that had statewide impacts. This year, our water supplies are currently stronger across the state but we’re watching areas of concern.

There are two groups that keep close tabs on our state’s water supply. The Water Supply Availability Committee (WSAC) is a team of experts from state and national agencies who meet monthly to review data and discuss potential water shortages. If challenging conditions are identified or projected, they will bring the information to the Executive Water Emergency Committee (EWEC). This committee is made of state agency leaders with a stake in water supplies (Departments of Agriculture, Commerce, Health, Natural Resources, Ecology, Fish and Wildlife, etc.). These leaders assess findings from WSAC and determine whether water users within affected areas will likely incur undue hardships.

At its meeting in early June, EWEC did not issue an emergency drought recommendation to the governor, which they did in 2015. The group discussed areas of concern and will continue to monitor water supplies. They will meet again should conditions change.

To help keep you informed, we’ll be sharing regular water supply updates on this blog. (Click here to read an earlier post on this topic.)

Status of our supplies

Here’s a look at water supply conditions as of June 17:

Paradise on Mt. Rainier received a few inches of snow
this week (June 7 top; June 14 below), but most mountain
snowpack monitoring  stations are currently snow-free.
Photos: National Park  Service webcam

Weather impacts | Cooler, wetter weather helped improve river flows in on the west side of the state where spring rains were in short supply this year. Today, about 56 percent of stream gauges are at below-normal levels. A couple weeks ago, about 75 percent of our gauges were below normal. The eastern side of the state did not benefit as much from rain. Rivers fed by melting snow (the Methow, Wenatchee and Okanogan rivers, for example) were running high due to early melt but are now below normal. While snow fell at higher elevations this week, most of our snowpack monitoring stations are currently snow-free.

Agriculture | The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation manages several large reservoirs in the Yakima River Basin, an important agricultural center, to help farmers irrigate through the dry summer months. As of Saturday, the Bureau began releasing water – about a week earlier than average – from the reservoirs to downstream irrigators. Last year, this action began in mid-April. The Yakima reservoirs are fuller this year – at 98 percent capacity.

Drinking water | Drinking water supplies are in good shape and aren’t currently projected to be affected by shortages. Contact your local municipal water system for information specific to your community.

Cle Elum Lake is a reservoir managed by the U.S. Bureau 

of Reclamation.  

More information | Visit our Washington water supply information page to read about streamflow, snowpack, precipitation, forecasts and more. 

Focus on fish

Fishery populations across the state face challenges again this year. Low flows in some streams and rivers are stressing migrating juvenile salmon, and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery teams are already responding to warm water conditions. Water temperatures in the Columbia River are higher than average, even exceeding 2015 temperatures on some days earlier this spring. WDFW staff remain on alert for low-flow fish migration blockages and high water temperatures as we move into July.

How you can help

Water is a shared resource and we all have a responsibility to protect it. Here are two easy water conservation tips you can use at home:

• About 30 percent of our water use across the state goes to outdoor watering. When planting your landscape, consider drought-tolerant native plants and check to see a plant’s watering needs before you schedule your sprinklers.

• You can significantly reduce water use by simply repairing leaks in fixtures (faucets and showerheads), pipes and toilets. A leaky faucet wastes gallons of water in a short period of time. A leaky toilet can waste 200 gallons per day. That would be like flushing your toilet more than 50 times for no reason!

Check out this page for more tips.

By Kristin Johnson-Waggoner, Water Resources Program communications manager

WCC Fish Response: Crews help fish battle the drought

By: Laura Schlabach, WCC outreach coordinator 

Our Washington Conservation Corps (WCC) crews responded to a different type of emergency this week: Emergency Fish Response! The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW) called on WCC AmeriCorps members to complete critical fish passage projects through the Governor's Drought Relief funding package.

These fish passage projects are important in maintaining salmon runs this year because of severe drought conditions statewide.

Hot weather combined with low snowpack means most of Washington’s rivers are running significantly lower than normal. Flows are so low that fish can no longer migrate upstream. Fish passage projects help salmon navigate low rivers by eliminating barriers to water flow and creating deeper pools for salmon to advance upstream. Learn more about drought's impacts on salmon and other fish.

WCC helping fish in Pierce County

WCC got the call for help earlier this month. Supervisor Josh Williams' crew quickly responded, collecting 40 sandbags and heading to Wilkeson, Boise and South Prairie creeks in Pierce County. They broke down rock dams and woody debris barriers to increase water flow and help fish passage. Our WCC members also placed sand bags along a shallow overhang in Wilkeson Creek to create an alternate, deeper route for salmon to navigate upstream.

WCC AmeriCorps members place sand bags
along shallow overhangs to create a deeper stream
for salmon to navigate upstream. 

Improving the Dungeness for fish travel

WDFW also called two of our Port Angeles WCC crews to the Dungeness River. The Dungeness River relies on snowpack from the Olympic Mountains in the summer and into autumn; this winter’s lack of snowpack and the resulting shallow water have made it difficult for salmon to swim upstream successfully.

Our members in supervisors Phill VanKessel and Peter Allen’s crews repositioned in-stream rocks to sections of the river where water levels could become critically low. By creating many small diversion dams, salmon now have channels of deeper water to migrate upstream.

Individuals from Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe’s Natural Resources Department helped our WCC members and WDFW install the diversion dams.

Clearing clogged river beds for fish in Yakima

Our WCC members on supervisors Matt Cone and Josh Perry’s crews were called to help the Benton Conservation District clear water star-grass, a native underwater plant, from shallow river beds along the Yakima River.

Due to this year’s extreme low flows, the mats of water star-grass were taking over the riverbed and clogging the river. Removing these mats will increase water flow for salmon migration. The project will also give salmon better access to the rocky river beds, where they spawn, or lay their eggs.

Our WCC crews do a variety of emergency response work, but it’s not often they get sent out for Emergency Fish Response. They deserve a huge shout-out to thank them for their great drought relief work. Awesome work team!

WCC AmeriCorps crews break down rock dams and woody debris barriers to help fish travel through low river flows. 

Join WCC

Do you want to help the environment, meet great people and make a real difference? Join Ecology's Washington Conservation Corps, an AmeriCorps Program program consisting of three subprograms: the core WCC, Veteran Conservation Corps and Puget SoundCorps.

See photos of the types of projects WCC members work on during their service in our WCC Projects Flickr set. Learn more and apply online today to become a member of WCC:

www.ecy.wa.gov/wcc

A perfect storm on the White River

By Chase Gallagher, Southwest Region Communications Manager

Last winter, Lake Tapps in Pierce County was drained for maintenance crews to conduct extensive work on the Lake Tapps reservoir dikes and to replace the wooden flume. This meant taking the lake down to near historic low levels, leaving what looked like a galactic landscape with stumps sticking out of the ground and normally floating docks stuck on shore.



Normally, the snowpack melts, keeping the rivers going strong throughout spring and summer. The White River would flow and Cascade Water Alliance, the owners of the Lake Tapps reservoir, could divert their allotted water and the lake would begin to refill as it normally does each spring.  But this year, with our lack of snowpack, instead of melting snow we have our first statewide drought since 2005.

It was a bit of a perfect storm – normal maintenance meeting abnormal snowpack – that left Lake Tapps drained for the last few months. With decreased flow, the threshold for Cascade Water Alliance to be able to divert water into Lake Tapps couldn’t be met.

But as it turns out, there’s another perfect storm that’s leading toward the lake being filled.

Fish Apron under repairs in the White River

The Army Corps of Engineers needed to perform repairs on a fish apron a few weeks ago, which required holding more water up at Mud Mountain Dam. When that reserved water gets released, it temporarily increases the flow of the river. Think of holding a vessel under a running faucet, which reduces the water into the drain, and then pouring the vessel along the normal flow:



That extra flow was enough to meet the threshold, and Cascade Water Alliance could test their new concrete flume, and in turn begin filling the lake. We went to Buckley last week to see the diversion in action:

That little uptick on the right side of the chart shows water returning to Lake Tapps.

The circumstances for the extended drawdown of Lake Tapps are unlikely to happen again, and the same goes for the recent news in being able to begin the refill. But within these perfect storms, the story of Lake Tapps is one of cooperation.

The partnerships between Ecology, Cascade Water Alliance, the Muckleshoot and Puyallup Tribes and the Army Corps of Engineers all led to working together - finding a solution to keep the river flowing, ensure fish passage, and get Lake Tapps back to its picturesque self.

A slightly more full Lake Tapps on the right.

Southwest Washington smelt run

By Chase Gallagher, Communications Manager Southwest Regional Office

In Southwest Washington, this year’s smelt run is causing a bit of a splash in the area’s rivers. As thousands of the small fish return to spawn, the circle of life completes and their bodies wash-up along the river’s shore.

A smelt completing the circle of life in the Columbia River.

As their bodies decompose, the smelt’s oil is released into the water, creating an oil sheen that to the untrained eye looks a lot like a hazardous spill. Our spills response teams received a number of calls last weekend about oil sheens in area rivers, but all evidence pointed to the smelt as the culprit.

The story behind every sheen

With smelt bodies along the shore, tracking the source of the oil sheen can sometimes be simple. But the river’s flow may also carry the oil downstream farther than the smelt bodies on shore, making it harder to identify. On close observation however, the smelt oil contains tiny scales, which can help guide our responders in determining the appropriate action.

While this die-off is nothing new, our unseasonably nice weather may be bringing more people outside, causing an increase in people witnessing the natural life cycle, and in turn creating an increase in calls to our spill responders.

Of course, humans aren't the only ones taking notice of the smelt:

Our friends @WDFW found these sea lions feasting on smelt at the Cowlitz River. More on that on our blog next week! pic.twitter.com/ZiJPVABnRb
— Ecology SW - Chase (@EcySW) February 27, 2015

It’s always important for our crews to assess and identify the source of any spill, whether from people or fish. Contact us to report a spill when you’re out and about, and together we can make sure we’re all doing our part to protect our waters.

New video is window on how your water resources are managed

By Dan Partridge, Communications manager, Water Resources Program

If you reside in the state of Washington, the water coming out of your tap represents only a tiny fraction of your stake in the water resources of the state.

Consider yourself the proud owner of all the water in the lakes, rivers and streams of the state, as well as all the groundwater you don’t see. Under law, the water resources of Washington are owned in common by the people of our state, and the Department of Ecology works for you to manage those water resources for your benefit and the benefit of more than 6,970,000 residents of Washington.

Ecology was given the responsibility of managing your water resources when it was created by the Legislature in 1970.

One of the tools we use to do this is called an “instream flow rule.” That’s an odd sounding name but it is a tool with a vital purpose. A rule allows us to set specific levels of stream flows for a particular watershed and limit future surface and groundwater withdrawals accordingly — to ensure there is enough water in those rivers and streams to meet the current and future needs of people, fish and wildlife.

To tell the story of how we use instream flow rules and what they do for your water resources, we’ve produced a video embedded in this blog and available on YouTube.

It’s narrated by Jim Pacheco, an instream flow biologist for 12 years with Ecology’s Water Resources Program. He has worked on five of the 26 instream flow rules Ecology has adopted for watersheds in the state.

Managing our water supplies is more challenging than ever before. Population growth is increasing the demand for water at a time when climate change is affecting mountain snowpack — which provides our water storage for cities and farms.

After watching “Instream Flows: protecting our water suppy” if you want to learn more about the work of the Water Resources Program go to: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/wr/wrhome.html

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Taking the Temperature of the Pilchuck River

By Ralph Svrjcek, Water Quality Program, and Nuri Mathieu, Environmental Assessment Program

Ecology's Ralph Svrjcek uses a datasonde to measure
water conditions in the Pilchuck River, July 2014.

The Pilchuck River is an important resource for people and fish.  In summer, hundreds of local residents cool off in its waters during hot weather. Needless to say, fish need to stay cool during the heat, too, in fact they require cold water to survive.   

Salmon need summer water temperatures no higher than about 62 degrees, Fahrenheit.  However, limited data collected by Ecology, Snohomish County, and others show the Pilchuck’s water can reach the mid-70s.  Ecology's Environmental Assessment Program and Water Quality Program are teaming up to gain a better understanding of Pilchuck River temperatures as part of the French Creek/Pilchuck River Temperature and Dissolved Oxygen Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Study.

What we're doing

We’re measuring river temperatures and water levels three different times this summer.

It’s called a synoptic survey. We first did this in early July when the sun was high and river levels started to drop. We’re taking our second survey this week after a long period of warm and dry weather, and as river flows continue to drop.

We measure water temperature, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen at more than a dozen key river locations.  This shows us where cooling and warming processes are occurring. We hope to identify the most important areas of the river for fish.

Who else is on the team?

Ecology is getting help in the field this summer from the Tulalip Tribes and Snohomish Conservation District. We also received good advice and guidance from the fisheries scientists at Snohomish County’s Surface Water Management Division to help us make our 2014 field work as useful and productive as possible.

What’s next?

The data we collect will be incorporated into our study to improve water quality in the river, called a TMDL. In early 2015, we will convene an advisory group

This long probe gathers continuous profile of the river’s
temperature as the team floats down the Pilchuck River.

that includes staff from the Tulalip Tribes, Snohomish County, French Slough Flood Control District and others to review our results and determine what actions are needed to reduce the high temperatures in French Creek (sampled in 2012) and the Pilchuck River. After that work is completed we will hold a public meeting and make the draft study and recommendations available to the general public for review and comment.

We're Looking for a Few (well, actually, a whole "lotta") Good Photos

by Tim Hill, Office of the Columbia River

Do you have photos depicting Eastern Washington water use at home, at work, on the farm, or at your favorite fishing spot? Please consider submitting them to Ecology's new Flickr photo pool, "Water for People, Food, and Fish."

Good examples might include a person using water around the house; xeriscaping; efficient irrigation of crops, and photos of fish (especially, salmon, steelhead, and bull trout) in their natural environment (streams, rivers, and lakes located in Eastern Washington.)

Please include a description and the location where your photo was taken. In addition to showing off your mad skilz* on Flickr, we'll use your photos in publications, videos, on the web and in other electronic media, providing you with the proper credit.

*Is it still hip to say that, or am I embarrassing my grandson, again?

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Cleaning Up: Ecology asks for public's help in protecting human health

By Seth Preston, Communications Manager, Toxics Cleanup Program

Ecology is starting a public dialogue on how we can update environmental standards to be more protective of people who eat fish and shellfish from the state’s waters.

You can find out more information on this issue, and how you can participate in Ecology’s process, on this web portal and in this news release.

This effort follows progress Washington has made to prevent sources of toxic chemicals that contaminate our air, water, soil, food, and our bodies.

Washington has reduced mercury pollution and is phasing out persistent chemicals that build up in the food chain, such as toxic flame retardants. The state has taken steps to reduce and phase out the use of copper brake pads, lead wheel weights, copper boat paints, and chemicals in children’s products.

We know that eating fish and shellfish is an important part of a healthy diet. But toxic substances in the state’s waters and sediment can end up in fish and shellfish, which eventually are eaten by people.

To get at this problem, Ecology’s Toxics Cleanup and Water Quality programs are developing a more accurate view of how much fish and shellfish Washington residents eat.

Current science indicates that the current fish consumption rates do not accurately reflect how much of our state’s fish and shellfish Washingtonians actually eat each day. In fact, the available information indicates that some of us consume much larger amounts.

Ecology is asking for comments on a newly released technical support document, which focuses on fish consumption in Washington and existing environmental and human health information. The document is available through our web portal.

This is just the start of the conversation. We’ll keep you updated as the process unfolds.

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New Tool Helps Ecology Help Fish

By Tim Hill, Office of Columbia River

Ecology’s Office of Columbia River (OCR) has a new tool to help us find the streamflow improvement projects that provide the most benefits to fish. Created with the help of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the “Columbia River Instream Atlas ” identifies where fish may be struggling and why and where we might have the most success with our streamflow investments.

We look at three important factors when making streamflow enhancement decisions: habitat, streamflows, and the amount of fish in a stream. The Atlas scores each of the factors for portions of streams, called reaches, located in eight of the most “fish critical” watersheds in eastern Washington. The scores allow us to tailor projects to make needed improvements and maximize returns.

A good candidate for water enhancement might be a reach that scores low in fish utilization, poor in streamflows, and fair or good in habitat. A little extra water in that reach would provide a lot of benefit to fish.

Alternatively, a reach that scores poor in habitat, low in fish utilization, and poor or fair in streamflows would likely require habitat restoration before streamflow issues are tackled.

But before OCR funds any instream flow project, it must find a new water supply nearby to provide the water. It’s a tough job, but OCR is working hard to do it. The Office has developed nearly 150,000 ac-ft of new supply since 2006.

The Atlas is part of a larger “Columbia River Basin Long-Term Water Supply and Demand Forecast” (Forecast) OCR will publish in November. Both documents are currently available in draft form. You can download them here. OCR is accepting comments on the Atlas and the Forecast though October 31st.

The Legislature created OCR in 2006 and tasked it with finding new water supplies to meet instream and out-of-stream water needs.

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Stories about Getting to Clean Water: Baby white sturgeon released into Columbia River

By Marcie Mangold, Ecology’s Eastern Regional Office

This future fisherman helps release a baby white sturgeon.

On April 28, over 60 people formed a “human chain” to pass buckets containing baby sturgeon so they could release them into the Columbia River in Grant County. A truck transported the 10-month-old sturgeon from the hatchery to the ceremony site near Priest Rapids.

The fish release was part of a ceremony to celebrate the White Sturgeon Recovery Conservation Program effort. Rex Buck, Jr. and other Wanapum Tribal members blessed the fish at the event and spoke of their importance to Wanapum and Yakama Native American cultures. Other speakers at the event included Paul Ward and Donella Miller from the Yakama Nation, and Grant PUD’s Assistant Manager, Chuck Berrie and Senior Biologist, Mike Clement.

Each fish tagged

Each fish released contained a passive tag that biologists can use to identify the fish when they are caught. These tags allow the researchers to track their movements, growth, and survival within the river over the next 20+ years. About one percent of the total sturgeon released also contained a sonic tag that emits a signal that can tell the biologists specifically where they are located without the need to catch the fish. These tags will work for up to five years.

Dams are hard on sturgeon

Dams along the Columbia River Basin have reduced white sturgeon populations. White sturgeon in the middle and upper Columbia River now reside in human-controlled and impounded reservoirs between dams. While these populations are able to reproduce, the juvenile or larval fish have a poor survival rate in the natural river, which leads to population declines. Some researchers believe this is likely due to regulation of river flows; flooding of historical critical spawning and rearing habitats; and increased numbers of native and non-native predators due to habitat alteration, introduction of exotic species, and increased pollution.

Read this full story online.

Water quality success stories provide a wealth of information associated with novel project designs, funding ideas, and useful resource suggestions. Some are clear successes; others supply valuable lessons to help us grow in our understanding of water quality protection and restoration. Stories illustrate successes gained from cooperation among Washington’s citizens and organizations.

Read all of Ecology's water quality success stories, and check out our complete catalog of stories to date.

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