Oregon Public Broadcasting

The cool dry spring in eastern Oregon this year looks like bad news for the region’s farmers.

Despite deep snows in mountain ranges, the cool weather meant that the snow melted slowly into the ground, instead of flowing quickly into eastern Oregon’s reservoirs.

That’s a problem because farmers draw from surface water storage, not from groundwater aquifers.

The Owyhee reservoir is at only two-thirds of capacity, and the Warm Springs reservoir is barely above one-third.

Malheur County judge, Dan Joyce, says the situation may not be as bleak as last summer’s drought, but it still looks bad.

Dan Joyce: “I remember going to the southern part of the county last year, taking pictures of people that hadn’t had any water in almost a year, in terms of rainwater, or snowpack. And this year, we had the opposite effect -- we had that early snow, lots of drifts in some areas, but no runoff, so you’re in the same -- you’re almost in the same boat.”

Joyce says it’s extremely rare for his county to get much rain this late in the spring. He says the uncooperative weather will only make life harder for growers, who are already struggling with the high cost of fuel.