Ecology expects to make drought declaration
Washington Ag Today March 12, 2010 At a meeting Thursday of the Joint Legislative Committee on Water Supply During Drought Department of Ecology officials said there will likely be a drought declaration made this year. They said one of the triggers for a declaration is already evident, a water supply at 75 percent or below in much of the state. But that shortage must also create undue hardship for water uses and users and Ken Slattery, Water Resources Program Manager for Ecology, said that hasn’t happened yet. Slattery: “But at this point there is no evident current undue hardship. There is more of an expectation that it will occur as time goes on especially as we get into the summer and particularly the late summer and fall.” Once a drought is declared various state agencies can go into action but currently there is no money for drought relief projects. The governor and Ecology are asking lawmakers for just over four million dollars. A warmer and drier than normal winter has Washington’s snowpack well below normal which translates into reduced spring and summer stream flows. Slattery said there is no need to regulate water rights on the main stem Columbia but there will likely be on several Columbia tributaries. Slattery: “In years like this that occurs on the Okanogan, the Methow, Wenatchee, Little Spokane and the Colville could be kind of a close call.” Earlier this week the Bureau of Reclamation forecasted proratable users in the Yakima basin will receive 77 percent of entitlements and that could decline further based on expected weather conditions. I’m Bob Hoff and that’s Washington Ag Today on the Northwest Ag Information Network. ? ? ? ?
