Scott Revell drives his truck through the Roza Irrigation District as this Yakima Valley patchwork of agricultural fields is waking up from a long winter.
Workers string hops and prune grapes. He points out the only small patch of older, rill-irrigated ground left and some of the major canals.
But Revell, the top manager for Roza Irrigation District, isn’t happy. Poor winter snowpack throughout the Northwest is to blame. In the Yakima Basin, this year’s water forecast is just 44% of normal for junior water right holders, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. That means many crops won’t be planted, could go fallow or be ripped out.
Generations of struggle
The Yakima Valley is known for many of its perennial crops: hops, cherries, blueberries and apples. Many families have been farming here for around the past 50 years.
“Nobody wants to be the generation when it all comes unraveled,” Revell said. “But they are dealing with market forces and incredibly high input costs; things that are so far beyond the control of anything they could influence off the farm.”
And he says even crops that stay in the ground, like cherries, may have a hangover effect from this short water year.
“Maybe a grower will give them a little shot of water every couple of weeks to kind of eke them through the season, so they can concentrate their water on the remaining crops that haven't been harvested yet,” Revell said. “You know those cherries aren’t going to do as well the next year.”
Full Northwest outlook
Caroline Mellor, the statewide drought lead for the Washington State Department of Ecology, said Washington and Oregon both have low snow. According to National Resources Conservation Service data, Washington is at 51% of its normal snowpack. Oregon’s snowpack is at 30% of normal.
“The low snowpack we are seeing across Washington (and Oregon) is very concerning for water supply,” Mellor says. “These conditions lead to less water available when we need it the most for agriculture, fish and drinking water.”
Southeast Oregon
In southeast Oregon, managers are hoping for spring rains to get the grass going and fill water holes. Many ranchers are considering higher hay costs as there might not be as much desert grass or alfalfa available this year.
“With the really low snowpack that we have this year, we’re really concerned about hay production and water that will be available for hay production,” said David Bohnert, director of the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center, located outside of Burns.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Oregon Snow Outlook Report, “As of March 1, snow water equivalent (SWE) remains well below normal statewide, the second lowest in the 46-year record of the SNOTEL network, behind only the winter of 2014-2015.”
There is little snow even on Steens Mountain or on surrounding mountains in southeast Oregon.
Katie Baltzor, a rancher outside of Burns, said she’s worried about her hay crop. But she’s been saving hay for several years just for a year like this.
“I think we’re going to have adequate water,” Baltzor said “Our water holes are full. The ground has a lot of moisture, so as long as it warms up and we have enough rain, we’ll probably have good grass up there in the mountains.”
Down in the meadows closer to town, she said the ranchers depend on the flood irrigation from the snowpack from the rivers.
“We won’t have the usual water this year,” she said. “If it rains enough we could see a hay crop, but it is rare.”
