Most of WA remains in drought conditions
R. HANS MILLER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 1 year, 7 months AGO
Farmers have less available irrigation water than average throughout the state of Washington this year. Causes include reduced snowpack in the mountains and less rainfall than average so far.
CHERYL SCHWEIZER/COLUMBIABASINHERALD
Most of the state of Washington has been in an official drought since a declaration was made in mid-April, according to the Washington Department of Ecology.
Managing Editor Rob Miller is a 4-year U.S. Army veteran who grew up in Western Montana in a community about the size of Soap Lake. An honors graduate of Texas State University, he enjoys spending time with his wife, Brandee, and their three dogs, Draco, Pepper and Cinnamon. He has one son, William. During his free time, he enjoys photography, video games, reading and working on the house he and his wife bought in Ephrata. He is passionate about the First Amendment and educating communities. | July 15, 2024 12:40 AM
OLYMPIA — The Washington Department of Ecology has announced that most of the state remains in a drought despite a wetter-than-average June. A drought was declared for most of the state in April.
“The April drought declaration enabled folks to start thinking about options to mitigate drought impacts for this summer and make best use of relief options,” said Caroline Mellor, Ecology’s statewide drought lead.
According to a report from Ecology, impacts include hardships for hatcheries due to low streamflows and warmer temperatures and multiple areas in the Columbia and Yakima basins are dryer than usual. Farmers are expected to receive less irrigation water with Yakima Basin irrigators getting about 51% of their usual allotment. The Columbia Basin is expected to be the fourth driest its been since 1949. Much of the problem is related to reduced runoff from mountain snowpacks from ranges that feed water into Eastern Washington.
“We continue to see low runoff and low seasonal volume forecasts,” said the Northwest River Forecast Center Senior Hydrologist Amy Burke “Runoff and water supply forecasts remain lower than normal, with water supply forecasts near record low in many places.”
Data published by the NWRFC indicates that precipitation for the winter was only at 74% of normal as of Jan. 3.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Lower Columbia Basin saw 106% of its median rainfall in May, the most recent month for which data was available. The Central Columbia Basin saw 60% and the Upper Columbia Basin saw about 75% median precipitation during that same month. While the Lower Columbia Basin received more rain, that didn’t offset the lack of snowpack or less moisture north in the watershed overall.
Irrigation water availability projections are generally down statewide for agricultural purposes.
Most of the state of Washington has been in an official drought since a declaration was made in mid-April, according to the Washington Department of Ecology.ARTICLES BY R. HANS MILLER
Feb. 10 initial election results
EPHRATA — Voters were asked to approve or reject educational programs and operations levy requests from a number of Grant and Adams county school districts in Tuesday’s special election. Voters in the Ephrata School District and East Adams Rural Healthcare decided the fate of specific proposals. Unofficial results released Tuesday night are listed below with additional votes coming in via mail over the next few days. Mailed-in ballots must have been postmarked by Feb. 10, 2026 to be counted.
COLUMN: It’s amazing what you can learn ...
Four years ago, almost to the day, my wife and I closed on the first home either of us have owned, a stunningly Pepto-pink house in Ephrata with what we thought of at the time as “character.” It turns out, that character is really, in many ways, a lot of work. Work I hadn’t done much of since helping my dad out when I was a kid a few decades ago. Still though, all of the work I had to relearn or learn – thank goodness for the folks at Ace, Lowe’s and experts on YouTube – has been incredibly rewarding.
Take a wander, see a wonder
MOSES LAKE — Living in Central Washington has a lot of perks, and one of those is the opportunity to see a variety of wildlife.