Slow Runoff Is Good

 Idaho Farmers may have dodged the bullet. I’m David Sparks and I’ll be right back. A series of spring storms have rocked Southern Idaho with rain in the valleys and fresh snowpack with some mountain locations reporting more than two feet of fresh snow, but is it enough? April 1st marked the official start to the irrigation season. Ron Abramovich, Water Supply specialist for NRCS  says “A slow defrost is what we need to help salvage this year’s water supply. A wet, cool spring would reduce and delay the irrigation demand, extending the limited water supply.”

 Snowpacks across Idaho range from 50 to 75% of average and have peaked with runoff now in full swing. Cool temperatures have delayed snowmelt and wet soil has meant less demand for irrigation water and the current storm track is favoring farmers although many would rather be in the fields that watch the rain fall. Here’s local farmer Sid Freeman with an optimistic point of view: “These cool temperatures we have is causing the snow to accumulate and not run off quite so fast.” Hydrologists say we should have enough water to make it through this season because of current water levels, but next season could be a different story. If we have a back-to-back short water years as far as snowpack goes that puts us into next year with the question, do we have enough water to make it through the irrigation season?"