UNION GAP — A dozen counties in Washington state on both sides of the Cascades are facing drought conditions this year, according to a drought declaration from the Department of Ecology, causing strains on agriculture and day-to-day living.

“Statewide, May through August of this year for Washington state, the average statewide has been the ninth driest such period since 1895,” said Jeff Marti, statewide drought coordinator with the DoE. “And in terms of temperature, May through August of this year was the third warmest since 1895.”

Marti said that combination had a tremendous impact on the snowpack the state depends on to recharge waterways across most of Washington. While the snowpack was good with a normal to slightly above normal amount of snowpack, May saw higher-than-average temperatures that melted the snow much faster than usual.

“And so we, kind of in terms of water supply, we spent our ammo really early,” Marti said.

That scenario has led to multiple municipalities across the state trucking in potable water so that there was sufficient supply for daily use, he said.

Some farmers and ranchers have seen impacts as well with some irrigation districts having to ration water, Marti said. Some farmers have had to allow fields to go fallow this year or choose different, less water-needy, crops as well.

On the ranching side of agriculture, some ranchers have had to graze their livestock in different locations or provide water where they otherwise may not have during a non-drought year.

“Range can be a real challenge because they’re dependent upon natural rainfall,” Marti said.

Impacts from the drought aren’t fully visualized through data for 2023 as yet, Marti said, however, the National Agricultural Statistics Service — a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture — will track impacts on crops and livestock and have a report out once the end of the growing season is over for crops. However, NASS recently rated 54% of the pasture or rangeland in the state as poor or very poor and 20% of that sort of land as fair, he said.

“That suggests to me … that there might be farmers or cattle growers that are having to purchase feed,” Marti said.

He added that the East Side of Washington is known for its ingenuity in regard to water management. While Eastern Washington farmers and ranchers may have had to adjust crops and watering patterns or pull in livestock from rangeland to water them or provide feed, they generally manage the situation in a way that keeps the business profitable.

In some parts of the state, irrigation districts, livestock operations and farmers have managed the situation well enough that additional water can be provided for crops.

In a Sept. 14 statement from the Roza Irrigation District, water supplies had increased by 1% making it so Tier II water is available in limited amounts.

“This is possible because of a combination of the increased water supply forecast, reduced demand due to cooler than average weather, some growers not taking all the water that they order, and the restrictions implemented earlier in the season,” the RID said in its statement.

Another contributing factor, the RID said, is the conversion of about 7,000 acres to drip irrigation since the 2015 drought, making irrigation in the area more efficient.

However, not all areas fared as well as others across the state and some farmers and ranchers have been hit with difficulties due to the drought. For those agriculture professionals, the declaration of a drought opens up federal aid to ensure their operations recover. These include a variety of options such as access to crop insurance benefits, grants, low-interest loans and other resources that can help ag pros stay on their feet to continue feeding people.

“There are a number of counties in the state that are now considered federal disaster areas, according to the (USDA),” Marti said. “And those get declared automatically. It’s based upon a formula where they look at the U.S. Drought Monitor, and if there’s a county that’s been at the D2 level, which I believe is severe drought, for eight or more consecutive weeks, it automatically gets designated as a federal disaster area, and then that opens up access to certain federal (aid).”

R. Hans “Rob” Miller may be reached at editor@columbiabasinherald.com.

Need help?

If you live in a federally-recognized drought area or have been affected by another natural disaster, contact the Federal Emergency Management Helpline at 1-800-621-3362. The Helpline is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

Impacted counties

Drought was declared on July 24 in all or parts of the following Washington counties:

Skagit

Whatcom

Clallam

Kittitas

Yakima

Snohomish

Jefferson

Walla Walla

Columbia

Okanogan

Benton

Klickitat