As snowpack declines, water worries rise
Washington’s declining snow-
pack is increasingly worrisome to water managers. And given the latest water supply outlook report from USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), that anxiety may be justified.
According to the NRCS, snowpack conditions statewide are 74 percent of average, down from 84 percent just a month ago.
Snowpack conditions in the Green River basin are only one-third of normal. Scott Pattee, water supply specialist with the NRCS in Mt. Vernon, said warmer and drier conditions continue to adversely affect snowpack conditions across the state.
“Record-breaking temperatures and below-average precipitation have water managers concerned there will not be enough runoff to fill reservoirs and supply irrigation and municipal systems to adequate levels this summer,” he said.
NRCS measures the depth and water content of snow at more than 100 locations around the state. The data is used to estimate how much water will flow down rivers and streams and into reservoirs as the snow melts.
According to the NRCS report, Sea Tac Airport set a new record average temperature at 47 degrees, while seven other cities in Washington had temperatures that either tied record-high temperatures or were within the top 12.
The effects of the warm, dry winter are being felt throughout the northwest, including in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“With temperatures averaging up to eight degrees above normal, recreationists and spectators are looking at the potential of less-than-optimal conditions for winter sports, including at the upcoming winter Olympics,” Pattee said.
Reflecting the state’s declining average, most river basin averages also continue to deteriorate:
* Lewis-Cowlitz – 76 percent (January – 90 percent)
* North Puget Sound – 72 percent (January – 79 percent)
* Central Puget – 50 percent (January – 72 percent)
* Yakima area – 77 percent (January – 79 percent)
* Wenatchee area – 87 percent (January – 72 percent)
* Walla Walla – 73 percent (January – 89 percent)
* Spokane – 57 percent (January – 56 percent)
Only the Olympic Peninsula reported above-average snowpack conditions, at 106 percent.
Pattee said long-range forecasts predict below-average precipitation and above-average temperatures as spring approaches.
“We may be looking to break even more records if these conditions persist,” he said. “Everyone will continue to monitor these conditions carefully as we approach spring. Given the state’s reliance on snowpack for its water, none of us are eager to break any record-low snowpack records as we head into the spring and summer run-off season.”
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Posted by admin
on Feb 25 2010. Filed under Recreation.
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