Eastern Washington Farmers Should Have Enough Water This Summer

AGRICULTURE 

By Anna King

Richland, WA  January 2, 2008 2:04 p.m.

Water wise this winter appears to be shaping up nicely for farmers in Eastern Washington. Sufficient rain and snow has fallen to start filling up mountain reservoirs and there is a good base of snowpack. Correspondent Anna King reports.

So far the five reservoirs that irrigate the Kittitas, Yakima and Naches valleys are about 40 percent full.

Chuck Garner, with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, says snowpack is well above normal levels for this time of year.

Chuck Garner: "I don’t think there is a lot of doubt that the reservoirs will fill. Right now it’s too early to tell. But as long as we maintain above 100 percent of normal and we don’t get that big pineapple express melting everything off we should be OK."

In May Reclamation officials will inform farmers how much irrigation water they can expect for the summer.

Water will be rationed to junior water right holders if there isn’t enough water for everyone.

In Idaho and Oregon farmers are also keeping a close eye on precipitation.  The upper Snake River reservoirs and eastern Oregon reservoirs are low from last year’s drought conditions. Those reservoirs will need more rainfall than normal to recover.

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