SEATTLE — The Washington State Department of Ecology issued a statewide drought advisory Wednesday.
The department said the state saw the warmest May on record and an abnormally dry spring and early summer which resulted in an early snowmelt. The snowmelt caused an initial surge for snow-fed rivers and streams but now most streamflows are projected to be 75% below normal.
In addition, the department said the state only received 47% of normal perception between April 25 and June 23.
The drought advisory is an early warning of a possible drought to make sure those in areas where drought conditions are developing are prepared. As of July 4, all of western Washington was experiencing abnormally dry conditions or moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Ecology said it will continue to monitor water supplies to assess the need for a formal drought declaration.
“Our warm weather arrived a few weeks early this year and really kicked the runoff into overdrive,” said Jeff Marti, water resources planner for the Department of Ecology. “Now, as we head into the hottest weeks of the summer, we want people to use water wisely and to be aware of our water supply situation. This drought advisory will help us get that message out.”
The department said climate models suggest the summer will continue to be warmer than normal.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center has declared El Nino to have officially arrived and scientists there have issued an El Nino Advisory. El Nino could mean higher chances of less snow for the mountains this upcoming fall and winter seasons.
This season's conditions
Some farmers are feeling firsthand the impacts of this year's conditions.
KING 5 visited David Haakenson, owner and operator of Jubilee Farm, last summer after heavy rains during the spring prompted flooding in the Snoqualmie Valley. This year, it was a much different story.
"A lot more traditional spring - a lot drier than usual, so with a couple of good rainstorms kind of in there, but since then the rains have gone away," Haakenson said. "It looks like it's going to be another hot, dry summer."
Haakenson said there were several days of 90-plus degree temperatures in May that the farm had to respond to.
"We had a lot of little starts, little starts don't have a root structure so they're getting their water from the top two inches, above the ground, so when that dries out they're in pretty rough shape," Haakenson said. "So on Mother's Day we spent eight hours getting irrigation out and getting water on everything, and fingers crossed it all worked and we saved a lot of different things that were really starting to dry out on those days. And then a few days later we got a really nice rainstorm so that was really good, it allowed us to get back to planting, which is what we should be doing in May, as opposed to irrigating."
Haakenson is used to adjusting workflow based on the weather, but he'd also like to see investments in infrastructure to store precipitation from the winter to release during seasons like this one. He recognizes it's a controversial proposal, but thinks it would be one way to prepare the valley.
"I think it would be a good idea to store that water in the mountains where we could release it into the ecosystem in the summer to meet the needs of people who have evolved to that level of water," Haakenson said.
Local Utilities
Ecology says people should stay tuned to their water purveyor as to whether they need to take extra measures to conserve water. The state's advisory excludes concerns for Seattle, Tacoma or Everett.
Seattle Public Utilities says based on current conditions, it anticipates having enough water for "people and fish" this summer. After a drier than average winter and fast snowmelt, SPU took actions to store additional water in the Cedar River watershed. You can view the most up to date water supply conditions here and conservation tips here.
Tacoma Public Utilities says Tacoma Water also has adequate supply to meet projected water use. According to Public Works, "streamflow in the Green River is significantly below normal due to abnormally dry conditions and early melt off of snowpack. Precipitation has been about 20% below average recently." It says maximum municipal storage has been captured in Eagle Gorge Reservoir to "supplement water supply during summer and ensure instream flow requirements for fisheries purposes are maintained in the Green River system."
Everett Public Works says Everett is closely managing the Upper Sultan River Watershed and currently the Spada Reservoir is at 95% of full capacity. It encourages customers to use water wisely and says "the most up-to-date water supply conditions, showing precipitation, snowpack, reservoir storage and consumption, are posted weekly on the City of Everett website (everettwa.gov/water supply)."
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