State expands drought emergency. Here’s what it means to Whatcom County
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- State expands drought declaration to include 19 watersheds in Western WA.
- Drought threatens agriculture; $4.5M in emergency grants now available.
- Whatcom County monitoring Lake Whatcom levels amid early snowmelt concerns.
Whatcom County is now part of the statewide drought emergency, after a Thursday announcement from the Department of Ecology that added 19 Western Washington watersheds to water-starved parts of the Evergreen State.
Drought conditions will have an impact on the state’s $14 billion agricultural industry, state Department of Agriculture Director Derek Sandison said in a joint statement with the Ecology. In Whatcom County, agriculture contributes $500 million to the local economy.
“Expanding the drought declaration is a necessary step to help preserve the crops already in production and ensure our farmers have the support they need during this critical time,” Sandison said.
A drought declaration allows Ecology to provide up to $4.5 million in emergency grants to public agencies such as cities and utility districts and to speed processing of water right permits and transfer applications, the statement said.
Full effects of the drought declaration on Whatcom County weren’t immediately known. Bellingham began voluntary water conservation measures on June 1.
Public Works Department spokeswoman Stefanie Cilinceon told The Herald in an email that city officials are watching water availability closely.
“Every city in the region has its own supply of water which means that we are all watching different indicators for what could impact our water supply. The city of Bellingham gets all our water from Lake Whatcom, which is mostly impacted by rainfall in the watershed, so our attention is tuned to lake levels and rainwater runoff,” Cilinceon said.
Public Works manages dam gates where Lake Whatcom flows into Whatcom Creek.
“During late spring and through the summer, a lake level target of around 314.5 feet is maintained as long as possible into the summer season. We are currently at our summer water level in the lake and maintaining it. In fact, Lake Whatcom’s current water level is a little higher than its average level around this time. We don’t anticipate there being issues maintaining our drinking water supply as we move into the summer,” Cilinceon said.
U.S. Geological Survey gauges are reporting streamflow that is below normal or significantly below normal in some areas of Whatcom County outside Bellingham, Ecology’s statewide drought lead Caroline Mellor told The Bellingham Herald in an email.
“A drought declaration is a statement on water supply — which means that it accounts for the upcoming impacts to water supply later this summer and early fall,” Mellor told The Herald.
A weak La Niña produced one of the lowest snowfalls in 25 years locally, according to records from the Mt. Baker Ski Area.
Snow is melting two to four weeks earlier than normal because of warm temperatures in the North Cascades, Ecology Director Casey Sixkiller said in the statement.
Snowpack at Wells Creek below Artist Point is at 21% of normal, and the middle fork of the Nooksack River above Glacier is at 51% of normal, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
“With an especially early spring snowmelt, we saw the need to take action to protect water supplies for the hot months ahead. Expanding our drought declaration will make more of our state eligible for tools and funding to deal with drought impacts, and help us protect Washington’s farmers, fish and the communities that depend on snowmelt for their water supplies, Sixkiller said.
The U.S. Drought Monitor puts Northwest Washington in an abnormally dry phase but doesn’t predict drought.
Nevertheless, the National Weather Service and others are expecting a warmer-than-normal summer with below-normal rainfall.
