State debates extending drought declaration

By Dan Partridge, communications manager, Water Resources Program 

If you look out your window in Western Washington, see the rain pouring in the street or the flooding in your neighborhood, it’s a no brainer: our historic drought must be over.

But it is a different picture east of the Cascades, which remains in extreme or severe drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.

Map shows most river basins in the state below 75 percent of average snowpack.
A water supply of 75 percent or below is one threshold that must be met before an area 

can be considered for a drought declaration.

The Drought Monitor uses different criteria for determining the severity of a drought – such as soil moisture – than we do at Ecology because our criteria is set in law. The monitor, however, is one of several tools state agencies use in determining where and when to declare a drought emergency and when to lift that declaration.

A drought emergency declaration is important because the law requires that we issue one before we can commit any state funds to drought relief projects.  This year Ecology has spent or committed almost $5.6 million of $16 million allocated for drought relief projects by the Legislature for use over two years. Those projects include repair and replacement of failing wells in communities across the state and improving water delivery systems for irrigation districts.

This week Ecology’s Water Supply Availability Committee (WSAC) met to debate the future of the statewide drought declaration, which expires Dec. 31. WSAC is composed of state and federal agencies that monitor state water supplies. Committee members shared information on snowpack accumulations and stream flows, temperature and precipitation forecasts for the winter.

Current water supplies and anticipated hardships must be considered 

Determining if the drought declaration should be extended, at least in certain areas of the state, is more complicated than it might seem.

    

State law allows Ecology to declare a drought emergency if a geographical area is experiencing or is projected to experience a water supply that is below 75 percent of normal and water users in that area will likely incur hardships from a water shortage.

Snowpack that accumulates over the winter and then melts slowly over the spring and summer provides the run-off that is the primary water supply for most of our rivers and streams.  In this year’s “snowpack” drought, snowpack accumulations were way below normal, and higher than normal temperatures pretty much melted what snowpack we had before the first of June.

As we approach the holidays, an El Nino weather pattern is expected to bring warmer than normal temperatures and below normal snowpack over the winter. Our average statewide snowpack is 56 percent of normal, compared to 49 percent of normal at this time last year. Conditions and forecasts similar to those at this time last year produced our statewide drought.

Decision important to agriculture and the state economy 

Making the right decision on extending our drought declaration is particularly important to the agricultural industry, which contributes $10 billion annually to the state economy. This year irrigation districts cut back water allotments to farmers in the Yakima basin, our most productive agricultural region, and water shortages statewide resulted in millions of dollars in crop losses.  Ecology is preparing to help farmers avoid another year of extensive crop losses and if, when and where the drought declaration is extended will make a difference in providing drought relief.

The decision on extending our drought declaration will be decided by Gov. Inslee. He will be advised next week by his Cabinet-level Executive Water Emergency Committee working from this week’s WSAC reports.   

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.