Summer of drought is shaping up to be as bad as predicted

by Dan Partridge, communications manager, Water Resources Program

Federal monitors now consider one third (dark brown) 
of Washington state to be in moderate or severe drought

Less than a week into it, our summer is shaping up to be as bad as predicted for drought conditions.

Record-breaking temperatures are expected this weekend and into next week: 100 to 108 degrees in Central Washington, same for the Spokane area and in Western Washington the upper 80s and low 90s. Statewide, the record temperature for the month of June is 75 degrees set in 1992. A spokesman for the National Weather Service (NWS) predicts “we are going to be well above that” when the high temperature is calculated for the month.      

River and stream flows at record lows

Since May 15 when Gov. Jay Inslee declared a statewide drought, the below-normal snowpack we had in the mountains melted a month early. As of  June 29 -- without our normal run-off from the
snowmelt –  78 percent of our rivers and streams are running at below normal flows; 38 percent of those are at record-low flows.

The high temperatures that have increased the demand for water needed for crops and communities are expected to continue through the summer and the fall and so is the lack of rain.

Washington farmers facing drought losses eligible for federal loans   

The National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) now classifies one-third of Washington as being in a severe state of drought. The Cascades have been reclassified from “abnormally dry” to “moderate drought.” The classifications guide the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in declaring natural disaster areas, which was done this week in 18 Washington counties. Farmers in those counties are now eligible for low-interest emergency federal loans that will help them defray the costs of damage to their crops and property from the drought.

Low flows in our rivers and streams have several hundred irrigators in north-central and eastern Washington facing water cutoffs far earlier than normal, and the fate of our request for drought relief funds awaits action from the Legislature.

Dry lightning, fire warnings for western Washington     

The National Weather Service has expanded its fire weather warnings for Washington state because the dry conditions we’re seeing this month normally don’t occur until August. Dry lightning is expected in western Washington this weekend and the state Department of Natural Resources has issued a statewide burn ban that will be in effect until Sept. 30, 2015.

Rapidly declining stream and river flows are telling the story of our drought

by Dan Partridge, communications manager, Water Resources Program

Just as the map of Washington was turning red with lack of snowpack in March and April, the month of May brought much of the state “into the red” for rapidly declining stream flows.

Our snowpack is virtually gone and more than 80 percent of the rivers measured by the U.S. Geological Survey are flowing at below-normal levels – and in many cases, at record lows.

For example:

• The Dungeness River on the Olympic Peninsula is only ankle deep at its mouth.    
• A receding Siebert Creek, in the Dungeness Basin, stopped short of the saltwater until this week – when the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe dug a new channel allowing Coho salmon smolts to reach the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
• The White River at Buckley is flowing at only 32 percent of normal for this time of year.    
• Flows in the Wenatchee River at Monitor are only 46 percent of normal for May-June. 
• Flows in the Snoqualmie River are at record lows, down more than 60 percent of normal and at levels not usually seen until August.

No snowmelt, weather forecast point to continuing decline in stream flows   

It’s only the first of June and with little to no snowmelt occurring through the summer, coupled with forecasts of hotter and drier than normal weather into the fall, stream flows will continue to decline.

Farmers and fish are already experiencing hardships because of the low flows.  Irrigators with junior water rights in the Yakima Basin will receive only 44 percent of their normal water allocations. This week the Roza Irrigation District in the Yakima Basin re-started its water delivery system after a three-week shutdown to conserve irrigation water for the season.

Big fish passage issues looming in the state    

What happened with Siebert Creek provides a dramatic example of how fish passage can be impaired by low flows. But the state Department of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) may be dealing with much bigger fish passage issues around the state as summer turns to fall and spawning fish attempt to survive low flows during their migration upstream.

A big concern for the summer and fall is the projected return to the Dungeness River of as many as 1.2 million pink salmon.

“It (the Dungeness) may be too warm and too shallow. It could be a problem,” Brent Bower with the National Weather Service told the Peninsula Daily News.

Taking action now to reduce hardships from low stream flows     

Ecology is working with DFW, the state Department of Health and the state Department of Agriculture to anticipate problems coming from low flows and possibly to take action now to reduce hardships from water shortages. For example, during the last statewide drought in 2005, biologists installed structures in the river channels of the Dungeness that helped fish swim upstream.

While stream flows are low and getting worse, confidence is high among state agencies that we can provide effective drought relief that will reduce the impacts of water shortages on our economy and environment.

Action on our request for $9.5 million in drought relief funding is expected soon in the Legislature’s special session. This will provide grants for a variety of activities to reduce the impacts of low flows on communities, farmers and fish.      

Formula for drought: Warm winters with rain, little snow

By Dan Partridge, Water Resources program communications manager 

For the second February in a row, we are closely watching winter water supplies in Washington  with our Water Supply Availability Committee (WSAC) partners.  

Comprised of state and federal agency representatives, WSAC monitors water supplies in Washington and decides if and when a drought declaration recommendation should be made to the governor.   

Snowmobile sits on bare ground near the Lost  Horse 

snowpack monitoring site southwest of Yakima. 

Like this time last year, Washington is experiencing a warm winter with little snow accumulating in the mountains.

In many parts of the state precipitation has been in the form of rain. The absence of snow accumulations, called snowpack,  sets up conditions that could result in a shortage of water later this year.

Snowpack numbers spell competition for water supplies

Earlier this month, the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) told the WSAC meeting that Washington’s snowpack statewide was only 39 percent of average. That could spell drought conditions and competition for water for our state’s many farmers and irrigators.

The Seattle Times this week reported snow levels at Washington ski areas at “possibly the lowest since the state began keeping annual counts 66 years ago.” For example, Snoqualmie Pass as of Feb. 8 had received 74 inches of snow this season, compared to a record annual snowfall of 191 inches during the 1976-77 season.

Snowpack serves as an important water resource in the state’s mountain ranges. Like a frozen reservoir, snow melt feeds reservoirs, rivers and streams and is delivered to farmers, irrigators and communities along the Olympic, Cascade and Snake River ranges.

Snowpack forecast not encouraging

NRCS  says the state needs to receive well over 200 percent of average snowfall between now and April 1 to catch up to normal snowpack accumulations.

Weather forecasts into March call for warm weather, more rain and less snow.  To be ready in case a drought declaration is necessary, Ecology is requesting drought relief funds from the Legislature. These funds in the form of grants can be used to drill emergency water wells, deepen existing wells for cities, farms or fish hatcheries or to pay for construction of pumps and pipelines.

By law, two conditions must be met before a drought can be declared in Washington state and funds released:

• An area has to be experiencing or projected to experience a water supply that is 75 percent of normal, and
• Water users in that area will likely incur undue hardships as a result of the shortage.

While lack of snowpack is a cause of concern, it is just one factor in the drought equation.

Rain, stream and river flows also factor into our water supplies. For farmers, how much water is available in our reservoirs can determine the success of the upcoming irrigation season. 

The seven-day average streamflow statewide was normal the first of February, although below normal in northwestern Olympic Peninsula. Snowpack was only 40 percent of average in the Yakima Basin, but storage in Bureau of Reclamation reservoirs in the basin was 167 percent of average.

Preparing to help if drought comes

Under these circumstances, no one is recommending a drought declaration but Ecology will be prepared to help in case it comes. WSAC also recognizes how quickly things can change. Last year, heavy snows in the second half of February increased the snowpack in river basins from as low as 35 percent to more than 70 percent of average. 

We may get by this year, but another year of low snowpack could mean less water carried over in reservoirs and spell drought next year.

For links to water supply information provided by all WSAC members, go to Ecology’s Drought Information Web page.

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

---