Oregon’s Irrigation Season Expected To Be Difficult After Disappointing Snowpack

Oregon’s snowpack struggled throughout much of the year and ended on a record breaking down note.  The Northwest snow season typically comes to end April 1st, but this year, Oregon’s snow apex came weeks earlier.

Not only did it come earlier, but there also wasn’t much snow to talk about.  As of Monday, April 20th, the snow water equivalent, was only 14% of average, a record low.

Jason Ward with NRCS says Oregon saw a very mild winter, resulting in precipitation falling as rain, rather than snow.  And while that rain was good for area reservoirs now, he’s concerned what the water situation will look like in just a few weeks.

“Spring and summer flow, especially in central and eastern Oregon, is very important for streamflow, for irrigation, for agricultural uses, as well as municipal uses," Ward said.  "And so that snow melt is a natural reservoir that provides cooler streamflow temperatures and provides a majority of the streamflow in the summer season.  Unfortunately, that record low snowpack, that natural reservoir is pretty depleted.”

Ward says the long and the short of it is Oregon will see lower than normal stream flows and warmer temperatures in the streams into the spring and summer.  After a disappointing winter, could a cooler, wet spring help Oregon’s situation?

Ward said extended rain would help preserve the upper soil moisture.

“But there's still going to be areas that during the summer when we typically have our dry season and you rely on irrigation water to keep the crops, you know, thriving and producing, there's going to be challenges because that irrigation water is not going to be available,' Ward said.  "So, while there has been, April's been pretty kind to us in terms of precipitation above normal and most of Eastern Oregon right now, but that pattern will start to change probably as we enter into the dry season in June and July.”

Ward added he’s concerned for the farming community and those that rely on the outdoors as we look at the later spring and early summer months.

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