02/15/07 Checking the Water Supply

Water supply. I'm Greg Martin with today's Fruit Grower Report. In just a few short months fruit growers all over the northwest will start swinging into high gear getting ready for the 2007 fruit harvest. One of the most crucial aspects of a producers operation is the water supply. And despite a dryer than normal January, Scott Pattee, a water supply specialist with the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service says: PATTEE: Well right now statewide we're looking pretty good, we're in pretty good shape. As of the first of the month we're about 120% of average statewide. According to Pattee only one area of the state is below average and that is the Northwest corner of the state. Pattee says the big central Washington irrigation area looks good. PATTEE: Those areas are in very good shape. Yes, definitely. The Yakima is as a whole about 110% of average. And looking into the future? PATTEE: Well that's the big question I guess is what are the weather patterns going to do for us and it looks like the forecast through the rest of this month show a few storms coming through but nothing that would really flush us out for the season. Considering that we are about 70 to 80% of the way through our normal collection period, we've only got a couple more months left to collect decent snow pack data. So we'll just keep our fingers crossed that things will straighten out and this high pressure system won't go away and we'll start getting some storms again. That's today's Fruit Grower Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Northwest Ag Information Network.