News & Press

WA Receives 20% of Normal Snow Fall in March

Mon, 8 Apr 2019 22:50:55 GMT

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For Immediate Release

Natural Resources

Conservation Service

316 W. Boone, Suite 450

Spokane, WA 99201

509-323-2900

Public Affairs Officer:gina.kerzman@wa.usda.gov

Web:http://www.wa.nrcs.usda.gov

Technical Contact: Scott Pattee

Water Supply Specialist

360.202.2550

WA Receives 20% of Normal Snowfall in March

SPOKANE, WA (April 8, 2019) – According to USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, Washington State experienced less than 20% of normal precipitation in March, setting record lows for precipitation statewide.

“March started off promising with reasonable snowfall in the mountains and even a rare shot of snow in the low lands during week two,” said NRCS Water Supply Specialist, Scott Pattee. “The rest of the month suddenly dried up,” said Pattee.

Normal snowmelt has been observed at mid-low elevations, however snow above about 4000-4500’ seems to be holding, for now.

Governor Jay Inslee has declared drought in the Okanogan, Methow and Upper Yakima basins. Additional basins are under careful watch and may be included later. TheUS Drought Monitor for Washington Stateshows spreading D0-D1 drought conditions for most of the state.

The April 1 statewide SNOTEL readings had dropped to 80% of normal, 10 pointslowerthan last month. The lack of precipitation equated to the lack of adequate snowfall to keep WA snowpack near normal.

“For every day that went by without mountain snow accumulation we lost ground,” said Pattee.

Colockum Creek maintained the highest median at 177%. Westside medians from SNOTEL and April 1 snow surveys, included the North Puget Sound river basins with 69% of normal, the Central and South Puget river basins with 65% and 78% respectively, and the Lower Columbia basins with 88% of normal. Snowpack along the east slopes of the Cascade Mountains included the Yakima area with 82% and the Wenatchee area with 81%. Snowpack in the Spokane River Basin was at 89% and the Upper Columbia river basins had 69% of the long-term median.

March precipitation varied little across the state and many long-term record lows were broken. March statewide SNOTEL precipitation was only 27% of normal. Year-to-date precipitation dropped to 81%. The Olympic Peninsula only received 10% of normal precipitation. The Lower Snake faired the best capturing 48% of normal, primarily from sites located in Oregon and Idaho.

April 1 reservoir storage in the Yakima Basin was 416,500-acre feet, 81% of average for the Upper Reaches and 99,000-acre feet or 66% of average for Rimrock and Bumping Lakes. The power generation reservoirs included the following: Coeur d’Alene Lake, 133,100-acre feet, 80% of average and 56% of capacity; and the Skagit River reservoirs at 69% of average and 36% of capacity. Recent climate impacts and management procedures may affect these numbers on a daily or weekly basis.

Lack of March precipitation brought all reported streamflow’s to below or much below normal. All streamflow forecasts have dropped by at least 10% from last month, putting many of them near or below the current state drought declaration authority of 75% of normal for the April – September runoff period according to the Northwest River Forecast Center. The Walla Walla and Lower Snake basins are the only areas to retain above normal runoff forecasts.

Volumetric forecasts are developed using current, historic and average snowpack, precipitation and streamflow data collected and coordinated by organizations cooperating with NRCS.

Since 1939, NRCS has conducted snow surveys and issued regular water supply forecasts. Since the late 1970s, NRCS has been installing, operating and maintaining an extensive, high-elevation automated system called SNOTEL, designed to collect snowpack and related climatic data in the western U.S. and Alaska.

To view the AprilSnow Survey and Water Supply Forecastfor Washington State, go towww.wa.nrcs.usda.govand clickSnow Surveyunder the “Topics” tab. Other resources on drought include theU.S. Drought Monitor. For information on USDA’s drought efforts, visitUSDA Disaster and Drought Information. And to learn more about howNRCSis helping private landowners deal with drought, visitwww.wa.nrcs.usda.gov.

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Inslee declares drought emergency for Okanogan, Methow and Upper Yakima

Mon, 8 Apr 2019 19:29:08 GMT

Department of Ecology News Release - April 4, 2019

Inslee declares drought emergency for Okanogan, Methow and Upper Yakima

Areas in red declared in drought emergency.

OLYMPIA – Despite significant snow in parts of Washington, water supply shortages are projected in the Methow, Okanogan and Upper Yakima basins, prompting Gov. Jay Inslee to declare a drought emergency in those watersheds.

The Washington Department of Ecology forecasts summer water supplies using data from state and national agencies. The Methow is projected at 72 percent of normal, while the Okanogan is expected to be 58 percent of normal, and the Upper Yakima at 74 percent.

The areas declared in drought emergency are prime agricultural regions and stand to lose valuable crops if faced with water supply shortages this spring and summer.

“We must take steps to ensure that Washingtonians have the water they need to sustain their farms and livestock,” Gov. Inslee said. “Climate change means that we will continue to see lower water supplies all over the state and we need to plan now for the impact.”

Ecology has been keeping a close eye on water supplies in North Central Washington throughout the winter, said Director Maia Bellon, and felt it was important to start preparing for potential shortages as soon as possible.

“By declaring a drought emergency, we can offer vital support to these communities. We also empower our partner state agencies and local conservation and irrigation districts to provide a range of emergency services,” Bellon said.

The coming months are forecast to be warmer and drier than normal, putting more areas at risk. Bellon, the official water supply manager for the state, will continue to closely monitor watersheds of concern such as the east slope of the Cascades and the Olympic Peninsula.

The Washington State Department of Agriculture advises growers to prepare and plan for limited water supplies. Many high-value crops such as apples, berries, pears, cherries and wine grapes could be at risk.

Ecology is requesting $2 million from the state Office of Financial Management for drought response programs. This could fund projects like installing emergency facilities; providing water leasing; and supporting operational changes to move water through tributaries and support salmon survival.

Washington is projected to have more frequent droughts as the climate warms. To proactively meet the needs of the state’s rural communities, farmers and fish during droughts, Ecology has asked the Legislature to modernize the state’s decades-old drought laws.

The latest information on water supply conditions is available on Ecology’s website at ecology.wa.gov/drought.

Contact information

Camille St. Onge

Communications

camille.st.onge@ecy.wa.gov

Primary: 360-584-6501

Twitter: ecologywa

Tara Lee

Governor Inslee’s Communications Office

tara.lee@gov.wa.gov

Primary: 360-902-4136

WA Snowpack Returning to Normal after February/March Snowfall

Mon, 8 Apr 2019 19:27:01 GMT

For Immediate Release

Natural Resources

Conservation Service

316 W. Boone, Suite 450

Spokane, WA 99201

509-323-2900

Public Affairs Officer:gina.kerzman@wa.usda.gov

Web:http://www.wa.nrcs.usda.gov

Technical Contact: Scott Pattee

Water Supply Specialist

360.202.2550

WA Snowpack Returning to Normal after February/March Snowfall

SPOKANE, WA (March 8, 2019) – According to USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, March 1 statewide snow telemetry (SNOTEL) readings were back up to 90% of normal, 15 points higher than last month.

In early February, mountain snowpack measured below seventy-five percent at most measurement sites. February came on strong with very cold and snowy conditions statewide.

“One would think that mountain snowpack must have met or broken accumulation records,” said NRCS Water Supply Specialist, Scott Pattee. “To the contrary, most of our SNOTEL network were below the 50-percentile mark for the month of February,” said Pattee.

The west slopes of the central and south cascades benefitted the most from the February snow storms, bringing most basins into the near normal range. Colockum Creek had the highest median at 156%. Westside medians from SNOTEL, and March 1 snow surveys, included the North Puget Sound river basins with 82% of normal, the Central and South Puget river basins with 79% and 95% respectively, and the Lower Columbia basins with 94% of normal. Snowpack along the east slopes of the Cascade Mountains included the Yakima area with 92% and the Wenatchee area with 93%. Snowpack in the Spokane River Basin was at 90% and the Upper Columbia river basins had 79% of the long-term median.

February precipitation from SNOTEL varied considerably across the state but averages out at 106% of normal. Year-to-date precipitation is below normal at 90%. The Upper Columbia and Puget Sound basins north of I-90 collected near near normal to much below normal precipitation whereas the rest of the state was above normal to much above normal. The highest was on the Lower Snake with 202% of average and individual sites reporting well over 200% of normal.

To view the MarchSnow Survey and Water Supply Forecastfor Washington State, go towww.wa.nrcs.usda.govand clickSnow Surveyunder the “Topics” tab. Other resources on drought include theU.S. Drought Monitor. For information on USDA’s drought efforts, visitUSDA Disaster and Drought Information. And to learn more about howNRCSis helping private landowners deal with drought, visitwww.wa.nrcs.usda.gov.

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Notable Snowpack Increase Strengthens Spring and Summer Runoff

Tue, 12 Apr 2016 18:20:33 GMT

Notable Snowpack Increase Strengthens Spring and Summer Runoff

SPOKANE, WA (April 12, 2016) – All Washington State basins reported a notable increase in snowpack in March of 2016. This, on the heels of a winter that tended to be warm and rainy, was just what Washington State needed to bolster spring and summer runoff.

“There is still concern that the existing snowpack is further advanced then normal and could begin to melt more rapidly than hoped for. As the weather warms and the snow begins to melt in earnest be aware that streams and rivers will still be very cold and swift,” said NRCS Water Supply Specialist, Scott Pattee.

The latest NWS short-term forecasts are calling for warmer than normal with some chance of seasonal precipitation. Long-range forecasts for the spring continue to be warmer and dryer than normal. http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/

The April 1 statewide Snowpack Telemetry (SNOTEL) readings were 110 percent of normal. The Tolt River Basin reported the lowest readings at 77 percent of the 30-year median for April 1 and Trough SNOTEL near Wenatchee had the highest percentage with 205 percent. Most basins reported steady or a slight increase from last month with new snow particularly in the north Cascades. Westside medians from SNOTEL, and April 1 snow surveys, included the North Puget Sound river basins with 105 percent of normal, the Central and South Puget river basins with 95 percent and 103 percent respectively, and the Lower Columbia basins with 117 percent of normal. Snowpack along the east slopes of the Cascade Mountains included the Yakima area with 110 percent and the Wenatchee area with 108 percent. Snowpack in the Spokane River Basin was at 95 percent and the Walla Walla River Basin had 127 percent of the long-term median.

The state received above normal precipitation for the month of March keeping year to date statewide SNOTEL averages above normal at 132 percent. The central and northeast areas of the state recorded the highest percentages in the state. Swift Creek SNOTEL near Mt. St. Helens received nearly 1 inch per day for a total of 29.1 inches and precipitation for the month of March.

Seasonal reservoir levels in Washington can vary greatly due to specific watershed management practices required in preparation for irrigation season, fisheries management, power generation, municipal demands and flood control. April 1 Reservoir storage in the Yakima Basin was 664,000-acre feet, 130 percent of average for the Upper Reaches and 196,000-acre feet or 130 percent of average for Rimrock and Bumping Lakes. The power generation reservoirs included the following: Coeur d’Alene Lake, 181,000 acre feet, 110 percent of average and 76 percent of capacity; and the Skagit River reservoirs at 64 percent of average and 33 percent of capacity. Recent climate impacts and management procedures may affect these numbers on a daily or weekly basis.

Above normal temperatures continue to drive greater than normal daily runoff throughout the state. However a strong snowpack and precipitation accumulation are helping to keep streamflow forecasts near to above normal. April-September forecasts for some Western Washington streams include the Cedar River near Cedar Falls, 116 percent; White River, 114 percent; and Skagit River, 116 percent. Some Eastern Washington streams include the Yakima River near Parker 117 percent, Wenatchee River at Plain 105 percent; and Spokane River near Post Falls 98 percent. Volumetric forecasts are developed using current, historic and average snowpack, precipitation and streamflow data collected and coordinated by organizations cooperating with NRCS.

View the latest Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecast information by state. Other resources on drought include the U.S. Drought Monitor. For information on USDA’s drought efforts, visit USDA Disaster and Drought Information. And to learn more about how NRCS is helping private landowners deal with drought, visit the NRCS website.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

Seattle, Everett and Tacoma are asking customers to voluntarily reduce water use by 10%.

Tue, 29 Sep 2015 23:43:50 GMT

Our industry is poised to help achieve this goal. Be sure to remind and recommend wise water use services that help your current and potential clients achieve a 10% water use reduction. In addition, share water saving solutions generously with your customers and clients. Here are two resources to for your use to share with your customers and client communication channels.

- Saving Water Partnership
- WSNLA Water Saving Solutions

WSNLA is an active stakeholder on the Water Shortage Advisory Group initiated by Seattle Public Utilities and will continue to be a part of the conversation as we move through a dry year and look forward to a similar year in 2016.