SPOKANE, Wash. - State and federal scientists are expecting drought conditions this summer after snowpacks in several spots in the state fell well below averages, following a dry winter.
"We're experiencing the infamous El Nino," said Scott Pattee, a water supply specialist who works for the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service, referring to the weather pattern that typically brings dry winters to the Pacific Northwest.
Dry, indeed.
The Spokesman-Review reports that the snowpack in the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene basins is 51 percent of the average. In that area. Near Seattle, the Cedar River basin holds similar low numbers, tying the Spokane basin for the lowest snowpack in the state. At elevations below 4,000 feet, things are already dry.
Some spots, like the Olympic Peninsula and several Okanogan County drainages, avoided the dry spell when January storms dumped snow and rain on those regions, Pattee said.
Gov. Chris Gregoire asked for $4.2 million in the upcoming budget to fund drought relief. The money can be used to drill deeper wells and pay farmer to not grow and irrigate. A formal drought declaration could come in early April. It would allow the state to tap federal dollars.
Bruce Suzumoto of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says that less water flowing down tributary streams means less favorable spawning conditions for returning chinook salmon.
NOAA is predicting strong chinook salmon returns to the Columbia River system this year, but those returns could be affected by the river and stream flows.
Snowpack shortage could also affect water recreation.
"We expect a good whitewater season on the Spokane River through May. Who knows beyond that?" said David Lawrence, owner of Pangaea River Rafting. "You get less of the white-knuckle experience, (but) it's still a fun, frolicking adventure."
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