Local News

State Department of Ecology Concerned Over Water Supplies in Okanogan and Methow Basins

Mar 18, 2019

The Washington State Department of Ecology says communities in the Methow and Okanogan Basins could be facing very low water supplies this summer.

Drought Coordinator Jeff Marti said “Those areas have substantially missed out on the big snowpack party that the rest of the state has enjoyed over the past couple of months. Even though we’ve had extraordinarily cold temperatures, they haven’t been getting a lot of precipitation.”

The area is also low on soil moisture which contributes to run off.

Marti said the drought levels could be some of the worst in recent memory.

He said, “In terms of the volume we expect, we expect to see overall volume this summer, from April through September, on the order of the volume, or less even than what we saw in 2015 which was a very serious drought year for the state.”

Maia Bellon, director of Ecology, met Friday with the Executive Water Emergency Committee to discuss water supply conditions in Washington. The committee is comprised of state leaders and experts in an array of areas tied to water supply.

The Methow and Okanogan basins are projected to experience some water supply shortages based on current snowpack levels, soil conditions, and climate predictions.

The committee will confer in the coming weeks to determine if any action is needed to help address hardships that could be felt by communities, farms or fisheries resources.

Marti said the drought will impact the fish for sure, but also could mean that those who have junior water rights might be asked to stop taking water from the river.

At 87 percent of normal, statewide snowpack currently ranks 11th lowest out of the past 30 years. Compared to this time over the previous five years, snowpack is lower than in 2018, 2017, and 2016, but significantly higher than 2015, which was a record snow-drought.

Marti says It is unlikely that snowpack, averaged statewide, will reach normal by early April, which is when snowpack generally peaks. It would require many feet of snow across the state. However, spring precipitation can continue to add water to existing snowpack.

Snowpack is deficient in the headwaters of the Methow and Okanogan watersheds, east of the North Cascades. River forecasts here indicate a high likelihood of below normal summer water conditions and the U.S. Drought Monitor has designated portions of Okanogan and Ferry County as being in Moderate Drought due to an extended precipitation deficit. Water supply forecasts for the Okanogan and Methow Rivers indicate a high probability that this year’s April – September runoff will be among the lowest recorded over the past 70 years.