Washington Governor Declares Drought
March 17, 2015 California is not the only western state to see its mountains bereft of snow, as the snowpack in Washington’s Cascade Mountain Range has dwindled to less than 10% of normal in some areas.
Snowpack conditions across Washington state mountains are near record low levels, prompting Governor Jay Inslee to declare a drought emergency for three key regions.
Watersheds on the Olympic Peninsula, on east side of the central Cascade Mountains including the prime fruit production regions of Yakima, Wenatchee and Walla Walla, will be hit hardest with drought conditions.
Snowpack is a mere 7% of normal in the Olympic Mountains. It ranges from 8 to 45% of normal across the Cascades, and is 67% of normal in the Walla Walla region.
“We can’t wait any longer, we have to prepare now for drought conditions that are in store for much of the state,” said Inslee. “Snowpack is at record lows, and we have farms, vital agricultural regions, communities and fish that are going to need our support.”
As in California, an unusually warm winter has caused much of the precipitation to fall as rain, leaving mountain snowpack a fraction of normal. And a healthy snowpack is what would slowly feed rivers across the state and sustain farms through the drier summer months.
“We’ve been monitoring the snow conditions for months now, hoping for a late-season recovery,” said Washington Department of Ecology Director Maia Bellon. “Now we’re gearing up to help provide relief wherever we can when the time comes. Hardships are on the horizon, and we’re going to be ready.”
Short and long-range weather forecasts are not expected to bring relief, calling for warmer and drier weather. A high pressure system continues to linger over virtually the entire West Coast driving precipitation away and bringing record high temperatures to many areas.
With snowpack statewide averaging 27%of normal, 34 of the state’s 62 watersheds are expected to receive less than 75% of their normal water supplies.
The Department of Ecology has requested $9 million in drought relief from the Legislature. The money would pay for agricultural and fisheries projects, emergency water rights permits, changes to existing water rights, and grant water rights transfers.
For now, water suppliers in the urban areas close to the coast, such as Seattle, Tacoma and Everett, are in decent shape and are not projecting much hardship.
To track snow and watershed totals, the Department of Ecology is posting daily updates to its drought website, and providing routine updates on Facebook and Twitter – search @ecologywa or #wadrought.
Source: Governor Jay Inslee’s Communications Office
Subscribe Today For
