Some Whatcom County wells have gone dry as state declares a drought emergency for area
Whatcom County is among a dozen areas of the state under a drought declaration issued Monday by the state Department of Ecology.
A drought advisory was issued July 5 and upgraded Monday because of continued dry weather, even as much of the state was seeing its first rain since late June — including a record downpour of .73 inches for Bellingham.
In the Nooksack River Basin, three water systems near Ferndale “are operating on emergency status,” Ecology said in an emailed statement.
Ecology spokesman Jimmy Norris told The Bellingham Herald that some wells have gone dry, some people are getting water from Ferndale, and another water system is hauling water by truck.
About 350 water customers are affected, Norris said in an email:
▪ Baker View Water System is dealing with dry wells and hauling water via truck.
▪ Aldergrove Water Association has wells that must go deeper. “They are either currently drawing air or close to it, at which point hauling water via truck may be the only option,” he said.
▪ Mountain View Water Association has opened an emergency intertie with Ferndale.
Drought concerns stem from warmer than normal temperatures and a lack of rainfall in May and June, Ecology said.
“In June, Washington received only 49% of its usual rainfall. Those hot days led to early runoff of the snowpack that feeds many Washington rivers, and the dry weather deprived the soil of a final shot of moisture before the summer heat arrived,” Ecology said.
July and August are Washington state’s driest months and the National Weather Service’s long-range forecast shows warmer than normal temperatures and below-average rainfall through October.
In addition, the U.S. Drought Monitor sees continued drought conditions in the Northwest.
“Climate change is making warm, dry summers more frequent, and droughts more severe,” said Ria Berns, manager of Ecology’s Water Resources Program. “What we’re seeing this year is likely a sign of things to come.”
This story was originally published July 24, 2023 at 2:56 PM.
