CHENEY — The state Department of Ecology has issued a statewide drought advisory after recording the warmest May on record as well as an abnormally dry spring.
In addition, an early summer heatwave has resulted in quickly declining water supplies across the state, an agency report said.
“Our warm weather arrived a few weeks early this year and really kicked the runoff into overdrive,” said Jeff Marti, Ecology water resources planner. “Now, as we head into the hottest weeks of the summer, we want people to use water wisely and to be aware of our water supply situation.
“This drought advisory will help us get that message out.”
An abnormally wet and cold April left the state with a healthy snowpack, the report said, noting it was followed by early snowmelt which caused an initial surge in streamflows for snow-fed rivers and streams.
With that surge now spent, most streamflows in the state are projected to be below 75% of normal, the report said.
In the 60 days between April 25 and June 23, the state only received 47% of normal precipitation, and soil moisture is also low in most of the state. Watersheds on both sides of the state are being affected by the early runoff.
In both the Skagit Basin north of Seattle and the Yakima Basin, irrigators are facing challenges due to a lack of water.
According to Jimmy Norris, Eastern Washington representative for the department, the May–June period saw Spokane County receive an average of about 2.55 inches of precipitation.
“Spokane County normally gets 3.48 inches, so that means Spokane County received about 73 percent of normal for the two months together,” Norris said, noting thjat ranks as the 47th driest period since 1895.
“It’s very dry, but not as dry as 2021, in which the same two months saw 1.05 inches of precipitation.
“That was the 3rd driest May-June for Spokane County.”
Norris said he has not received any reports from irrigators in Spokane County specifically, but the department is curtailing junior water rights applications in area watersheds, including Spokane, Hangman and Marshall Creek.
Widespread impacts to municipal water systems have not been reported, although some water systems have established early conservation restrictions to preserve drinking water, the report said.
Low streamflows later this summer may impact fish, but so far those impacts haven’t been reported, the report said.
Climate models suggest the summer will continue to be warmer-than-normal, but should not reach 2021 extremes when a so-called “heat dome” shattered temperature records statewide, the report said.
The former Hanford townsite, on present day Hanford Nuclear Reservation, reached a record high of 120 degrees on June 29, 2021.
Thanks to robust storage facilities, utility companies in large metropolitan areas including Tacoma, Seattle and Everett report have plenty of water for their customers, according to the agency.
Pasture and range conditions have also seen slight improvements since early May according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, but other information indicates that soil moisture is short across the state.
Steve Walser, owner of Willow Wind Organic Farm in Ford commented on the drought advisory.
“We’re pretty much irrigated on all of our agricultural areas, and we don’t have any dryland acreage,” Walser said. “I don’t have any issues with a lack of water.
“However, we did have some weather fluctuations this last year that changed things.”
Walser said he has seen poor conditions for his blueberry patches.
“I imagine that might be tied to the fruit’s parentage, meaning that their genetic lineage affects their ability to thrive in certain climates and with certain fluctuations,” Walser said.
With almost 40 years experience, Walser has seen many factors come to bear on agriculture.
“With all the talk about climate change, I do pay attention to the weather,” he said..” There’s so much variance I really can’t say with certainty that the pattern has changed. The Department of Ecology won’t often process an application for water rights, and that is frustrating.”
Lucas is a former Cheney Free Press managing editor. He is a nationally published author who contributes regularly to several publications across the country.
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