Ecology declares third year of drought for Yakima Basin

YAKIMA – The state has extended a drought emergency for the third year in a row in the Yakima River Basin.

The drought declaration, which began in 2023, covers the Upper Yakima, Lower Yakima and Naches watersheds. Kittitas and Yakima counties and part of Benton County are part of the drought emergency.

Seven other counties are in a drought advisory status, including Okanogan and Chelan counties and Pierce, King, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom on the west side of the state, according to the Washington Department of Ecology.

Although snowpack has improved in the Yakima Valley, there won’t be enough spring runoff to replenish reservoirs and soil after two back-to-back years of drought, state officials said.

During a news conference in Seattle on Tuesday, Department of Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller said six of the last 10 years have seen a drought declaration for some part of the state.

“This is the new normal: More rain, less snowpack, earlier springs, hotter, drier summers, and increasing odds that snow droughts will happen 4 out every 10 years,” he said. “This isn’t a future threat; it’s happening right now.”

Sixkiller said the state wants to shift from treating drought as an emergency response “to something we plan for and build around.”

Conditions in Yakima Valley

Droughts involve multiple factors, said Karin Bumbaco, deputy state climatologist. It’s not just about lack of rain, but also the timing of the rain, snowpack levels and the timing of snowmelt.

“There are many ways to make a drought,” she said.

This year, a lack of precipitation in the central and northern Cascades resulted in below-normal snowpack. The Upper Yakima Basin is at 75% median snowpack, and even though the Lower Yakima and Naches watersheds are at near-normal snowpack, it hasn’t been enough to make up for deficits the past two years, she said.

The Upper Yakima Basin has a long-term precipitation deficit of 33 inches, she said. The five reservoirs that feed the Yakima River — Keechelus, Kachess, Cle Elum, Bumping and Rimrock — are at 59% of normal, the fifth-lowest levels since 1971.

Climate change has lowered snowpack levels across the state, Bumbaco said. There has been a 25% decrease in snowpack since the 1950s, and there could be a further 50% decline by the end of the century, she said.

Continuing drought

A third year of drought could have enormous consequences for the $4.5 billion agriculture economy in the region, which grows 71% of the nation’s hops, 63% of its apples and 62% of its cherries.

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation estimates this year’s water supply for junior water rights holders in the Yakima Basin will be 58%, affecting irrigators in the Roza Irrigation District and Kittitas Reclamation District.

A drought that results in 70% of normal water supply could impact up to 6,000 jobs and result in up to $424 million in direct losses, according to the Department of Agriculture.

Drought is declared in Washington when less than 75% of normal water supply is available and there is risk of “undue hardship” to water users or the environment.

The declaration will open up $4.5 million in drought emergency response grants for public utilities like irrigation districts. Caroline Mellor, statewide drought lead for Ecology, said it’s $1.5 million more than usually provided because of leftover one-time funding in 2023.

Mellor said that Ecology can give out $3 million in the grants per fiscal year when there is a drought declared. The regular emergency funding is important, but Ecology still has a need for funding for drought preparedness and resilience, she said.

Potential federal impacts to Washington response

Trump administration funding cuts and pauses, and job terminations could impact the state’s ability to respond the drought.

Sixkiller said the state needs “stability and commitment” from its federal partners. Drought response requires partnerships with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Bureau of Reclamation.

Bumbaco said that the state relies on federal government for its data, including on temperature, precipitation, stream flow, soil moisture and snowpack. The data is used for forecasting drought, determining impacts and determining water availability.

“Without accurate data, we can’t reliably forecast supplies,” Sixkiller said.

Federal funding is also essential for projects like water storage, he said.

Sixkiller said Gov. Bob Ferguson is committed to making the state more drought- and climate-resilient.

Wildfire risk

With drought comes increased wildfire risk.

Matt Dehr, wildland and fire meteorologist for the state Department of Natural Resources, said that prescribed burning has been an effective method for reducing fire risk across the state, and the agency wants to increase its use.

“One thing that a little less precipitation in the winter gives us is that opportunity to do more prescribed burns,” Dehr said.

The low reservoir storage levels are indicators that forests could be stressed from lack of water, he said. Forests stressed from drought, disease and overcrowding are more susceptible to fires.

DNR has shored up its aerial support with a fleet of drones that can map heat and start burns in areas unreachable by firefighters, he said.

Questen Inghram is a Murrow News Fellow at the Yakima Herald-Republic whose beat focuses on government in central Washington communities. Email qinghram@yakimaherald.com or call (509) 577-7674.