NRCS Not Expecting A Drought, At This Point

Thanks to a variety of reasons, NRCS said Washington can expect a dry summer.

But they did not say drought, at least not this point.

NRCS’ Scott Pattee said he doesn’t expect a repeat of 2015, the last time Washington saw a statewide drought declaration.

“Unfortunately we’re probably going to have some dryness, we’ll call it.  There might be some areas that might run a little short of water a little earlier this year then they normally would.  The word conservation is going to keep coming out, and I think it’s going to be a tool that we really need to pay attention to, because if we can conserve now, it just means that we’ll have more supply later on.”

Droughts have already been declared for the Okanogan, Methow and Upper Yakima, and he said other basins in the Wenatchee area are not far behind.

When it comes to the curtailing of water rights, specifically junior water rights in the Yakima, Pattee said the reservoirs are the issue.  He said the reservoirs in the Lower Yakima are at 81% of average, but the upper Yakima reservoirs are only 66% of where they should be for this time of year.  He noted there is concern about filling those reservoirs this spring.

“Especially in the Upper Yakima with the lack of snow.  And you know we have to realize those reservoirs also rely heavily on strong fall rainfall, which we did not receive this year.  We had a very dry summer, and then a very dry fall and so they did not receive that early shot of recharge that hey normally do get before the snow falls.”

Pattee said 70%-80% of surface water in Washington comes from the snowpack.  And currently, the statewide snowpack is 79% of average.

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