Spring Water May Be Short

Spring Water May Be Short. I'm Greg Martin with today's Line On Agriculture. A warm and relatively dry winter has left some northwest irrigators concerned about water availability this coming season. Oregon farmers and ranchers are among the many relying on water later this year who are worried about getting enough. The past few months have left the state relatively high and dry, according to meteorologist Pete Parsons of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, who says winter turned out pretty much as predicted in an El Niño year. PARSONS: After that cold spell in December, January and February were incredibly mild and dry. Of course, that leads to some poor snowpacks in the mountains around the state as well. The next few months may not be enough to help all irrigators this summer. PARSONS: It would help if we get some spring rains. But the general climate signal, if there is one that comes from El Niño, is for precipitation to be probably near to slightly below normal still as we go through the spring and into the early summer. Statewide snowpack figures are anywhere from 50 to 85 percent of normal for this time of year. It's hard to predict what might happen during the summer, but in Oregon, the months of July and August are normally dry anyway. Some possible good news- rarely is an El Niño year followed up with another one. Parsons believes next winter may possibly go back to being wetter and colder than normal. Parsons says it's much better to have a good snowpack in the winter than having to rely on spring rains to make up the difference. PARSONS: There is no substitute for having the snowpack up there. It does help if you can get a wet spring, obviously. It would alleviate some of the problem, but it's not going to completely make up for the low snowpack. We have snowpacks anywhere from 50 to 85 percent of normal. You are not going to make up for that with spring rain. Parsons says it may be too late to help irrigators in Oregon this summer because of the relatively warm and dry winter. PARSONS: The main driver for irrigation is what happens in the winter time and getting the snow up in the mountains. What's done is done up there. We've got a low snowpack. That's today's Line On Agriculture. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.