Why Washington State Fruit Growers Need to Adapt for Drought Now

As Washington State contends with its fourth consecutive year of declared drought, it is a good time to review how our region and individual orchards are adapting to what appears to be our new normal. With water shortages occurring in many areas of the country, this is an opportunity to learn from what is happening in the Pacific Northwest as you contend with the limits of this resource in your own region.

A CHANGING WATER CYCLE

First, it is important to understand what is driving these successive drought declarations. This may be particularly confusing if you remember that Washington state experienced historic flooding in December 2025. Many of our watersheds, particularly those along the east slope of the Cascade Range, depend on the gradual spring melt of accumulated winter snowpack at higher elevations to maintain river flows and refill reservoirs that supply irrigation systems. Instead of winter snowfall, Washington has been experiencing warmer winters that cause more precipitation to fall as rain instead of snow. As a result, we have abnormally high flows in the winter followed by shortages in the summer.

In short, we have the same volume of water falling from the sky, but it is increasingly being experienced as an alternating flood and drought. Future climate modeling by researchers at the University of Washington estimates that many river systems in the state will have winter flows 45% above historic norms and summer flows 45% below historic norms within the next 30 years. It is not necessary to agree on why these weather patterns are changing to recognize the need to adapt to realities already being experienced on the ground.

PLANNING FOR WATER’S FUTURE

To address these persistent challenges, Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson and the state Department of Ecology have launched the Washington’s Water Future initiative. The effort will gather public input across watersheds and sectors on goals, constraints, and needs to better manage water resources for agriculture, drinking water, and environmental needs. Many important priorities have already been raised, including support for irrigation infrastructure improvements and new storage; financial incentives for water conservation improvements; and reforms to the “use it or lose it” provisions of state water law that can disincentivize conservation.

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Planning for regional policy changes and investments is welcome and needed. However, orchard growers are also prioritizing what they can do to prepare and adapt rather than simply hoping for a solution from the government. These on-farm responses include adopting existing solutions and researching systems and technologies that offer even greater potential in the future.

CONSERVING WATER ON THE FARM

Many orchards are already incorporating changes such as drip irrigation, shade cloth, and foggers or micro-sprinklers that provide overhead cooling of fruit while using up to 25% less water than conventional sprinklers.

Even more is possible with the application of data management and AI tools. Washington State University’s AgWeatherNet system already has an irrigation management tool that synchronizes with local weather monitoring stations to provide growers with ongoing irrigation recommendations based on temperature, evapotranspiration, and each orchard’s soil type and water retention capacity. These customized recommendations allow growers to use only as much water as needed to grow their crop and conserve the rest.

THE PROMISE OF PRECISION IRRIGATION

Even more promising opportunities are being piloted at the Smart Orchard Testbed, an initiative of Washington State University in cooperation with our industry. Multiple scenarios are being tested using fully automated irrigation that delivers specific amounts of water directly to each tree. The system combines microclimate data from AgWeatherNet with soil moisture monitors and tensiometers on individual trees to measure water uptake. This precision monitoring of plant needs and stress, combined with precise control of water delivery, is currently expensive but can produce high-quality fruit while reducing total water use by more than 50%.

Growers have been managing weather and climate risks and adapting to changes since the dawn of civilization. These changes aren’t always welcome or easy, but we shouldn’t take a fatalistic view or consider these challenges insurmountable. The fact that water needs are being recognized and adaptive changes are being prioritized by policymakers is an encouraging sign. Even more encouraging is the progress being made on water management tools and innovation by our industry and research university partners.

Growers in Washington and other water-constrained regions should monitor and participate in these policy discussions while tracking the tools being developed by our research community to enhance our industry’s resilience. And if you are not in a region with a water shortage now, you should track our progress, so you are prepared if conditions change in your own region.