Current Drought Conditionsand Flow of Area Rivers

We are seeing late summer flows that we normally see after Labor Day, and Summer has just begun…

Mike GallagherWater Resources Program – Southwest RegionJune 26, 2015

Less than 75 Percent of

Normal Water Supply

Hardship

Drought

Washington State’s Drought Trigger

RCW 43.83B.400

Administrative Drought Trigger

• Water supply conditions where a geographical area or a significant part of a geographical area is receiving, or is projected to receive, less than seventy-five percent of normal water supply as the result of natural conditions and the deficiency causes, or is expected to cause, undue hardship to water users within that area.[WAC 173-166-030(2)]

Describing geographic areas for the purpose of declaring droughts

"Geographical area" can be natural or political. Examples:(a) The state of Washington.

(b) Counties.

(c) Water resource inventory areas (WRIAs) as defined in chapter 173-500 WAC.

(d) Individual watersheds which constitute only a portion of a WRIA but whose boundaries can be topographically described.

(e) Groundwater management areas and subareas as defined in chapter 173-100 WAC.

(f) Designated sole source aquifers.

(g) Combinations of the above areas.

Ecology Convenes

WSAC

WSAC makes recommendation re: water

supply

EWEC makes determination re: hardship

Tribal Notification

Governor’s Office Issues

Written Approval

Ecology Issues Drought Declaration Order

WSAC = Water Supply Availability Committee (Technical)EWEC = Executive Water Emergency Committee (Policy)

Hardship EvaluationGroundwater users should be buffered from impactsAgriculture

Costs of water supply can increase (well drilling, leasing and purchasing of other water rights)

Reduced water delivery, due to pro-ratable or junior water right status Some plants can’t forego season of no irrigation (e.g., fruit trees)

Water purveyors Municipalities concerned about drought message, reduced revenues Effects on smaller purveyors harder to predict

Landscaping Landscape industry saw reduced sales in past due to drought perception

Fisheries: Habitat and hatcheriesRecreationHydropower

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All time record low snowpack in Olympics and Cascades in 2015

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Snow-water Equivalent – 2014 vs 2015 – same date

Chehalis River

Newaukum River

Wynoochee River

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Dungeness River Flow Data @ USGS Gage (2009 – 2015)

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Hoh River

Daily fluctuation is due to the daytime higher melting of the Blue Glacier

Queets River

Quinault River

Soleduck River

Flow levels in June quickly approaching the annual low flow levels of September - October

Summary Drought of 2015

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This started as a “Snowpack Deficiency” droughtWhat normally would have fallen as snow this past winter fell as rain and has already flowed downstream.

However, while rainfall in “most” of Washington was normal over the Winter and early Spring… since early May and through June, rainfall has been below normal and we are now seeing this impact in streamflows – we are having August – September streamflow conditions NOW and summer has just begun. Groundwater supplies are expected to be fine in areas with regional aquifer systems …with the exception of shallow wells near streams with record low flows.

Main economic impacts from this drought are crops reliant on surface water irrigation and fish passage in streams with expected RECORD low flows.