Published 10:45 am Sunday, September 3, 2023
The Washington Department of Ecology has money to help farmers through the drought, but has received only a handful of applications since declaring an emergency in parts of 12 counties in July.
Ecology has awarded one grant, $154,867 to the Clallam County Public Utility District, to haul water to customers. Ecology has rejected one other application, from the Okanogan Irrigation District.
Three other applications are pending, but none of them are related to agriculture, Ecology spokesman Jimmy Norris said Sept. 1.
Ecology is working to set up another program authorized by lawmakers to fund projects intended to prepare for future droughts. To qualify for emergency funds now available, applicants must document hardships caused by the current drought.
“It’s possible that the hardships being experienced in the areas where we’ve declared drought can’t be solved with this particular grant program,” Norris said in an email.
Ecology declared a drought emergency July 24. During the last declared drought in 2021, Ecology exhausted its drought-relief funds by distributing $700,000 to three state agencies.
The state was better prepared this year. The department has $2.7 million for drought-relief projects proposed by cities, counties, tribes, and irrigation, utility, water and sewer, port and conservation districts.
The Okanogan Irrigation District, which serves 5,000 acres in north-central Washington, applied for $127,500 to replace two motors that pump water from the Okanogan River when reservoirs are low.
The 800-horsepower motors are cooled by water. Replacing them would leave water in the city of Omak’s water system for future growth, according to the application.
The district did not anticipate having the motors delivered until May. Ecology determined the project would not have a substantial benefit for irrigators or fish relative to the cost.
In other responses to the drought, Ecology approved transferring water rights from the Skagit Public Utility District to two irrigation districts in Skagit County.
The department also has authorized six emergency wells in Kittitas and Yakima counties.
The drought declaration expires Nov. 20. Ecology declared a drought in all or parts of Clallam, Columbia, Jefferson, Kittitas, Klickitat, Okanogan, Pierce, Skagit, Snohomish, Walla Walla, Whatcom and Yakima counties.
The U.S. Drought Monitor reported Thursday that 75% of Washington was in some stage of drought. Among 11 Western states, only New Mexico has a higher percentage of drought.
Parts of Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties are in “extreme” drought, the second-worst of four classifications.
Yakima River Basin irrigators with junior water-rights will receive 72% of the normal supplies from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
The Kittitas Reclamation District, which serves 59,000 acres in Central Washington, plans to continue delivering water until Sept. 30, but some farmers have used up their allotments, district manager Urban Eberhart said Friday.
Instead of the normal 5 acre-feet of water per acre, farms will receive 3.5 acre-feet, he said. “There is a major impact in a 72% water year,” Eberhart said.
