Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current, February 10, 2017, Image 3

Historic Oregon Newspapers

Capital press., February 10, 2017, Page 3, Image 3

Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR

About Capital press. (Salem, OR) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 2017)

Prev Page of 28 Next Prev Issue Next Text PDF JP2 (1.4 MB) Clip/Print Image

Return to Top

Prev Page of 28 Next Prev Issue Next

Newspaper Page TextFebruary 10, 2017 CapitalPress.com 3 Snowpack January storms boost Western snowpack Western U.S. snow water equivalent Basin-wide percent of Feb. 2017 snowpack compared to the aggregate average (1971-2010). Big winter storms in Jan- uary have generally pushed snowpacks around the West to above average levels. But while water managers are optimistic, they warn it’s still early. Warm temperatures late in the season, or dry con- ditions, could still change the summer outlook. 101 127 110 99 88 116 113 127 106 117 123 125 111 117 111 111 104 101 110 97 128 115 100 109 99 114 108 119 136 110 119 130 120 123 134 158 136 145146 100 177 137 143 148 177 127 117 78 108 96 134 157 157 178 160 161 134 149 75 163 135 145 141 127148 164 184 149 168 87 148 164 156 155 127 119 145 144 149 212 164 116 120 150 121 131 140 166 231 197 120 132 212 126 132 148 126 135117 125 127 130 135 97 116 133 116 California A manual survey conduct- ed Feb. 2 found more than four times as much snow as a month ago, and farm groups want the abundance to equate to considerably more water this summer. But state and federal ofﬁ - cials insist it’s still early in the season, and the drought isn’t over yet. The state Department of Water Resources’ manual survey at a mountain station about 90 miles east of Sac- ramento found a snow-water equivalence of 28.1 inches, up dramatically from the 6 inch- es found there on Jan. 3. The site’s average Febru- ary snow-water equivalence in manual readings since 1964 is 11.3 inches. Electron- ic readings showed the state- wide snowpack on Feb. 2 to be 173 percent of average for the date. “We’ve got a very good snowpack, a very robust snowpack on the ground right now,” state snow surveys chief Frank Gehrke told re- porters. Even before the survey was done, the California Farm Bureau Federation, Western Growers and the California Farm Water Coalition put out statements expressing hope that the well-above- normal snowpack equates to improved water supplies for farmers and ranchers. “You would think that a snowpack in the range of 175 percent of average would as- sure plentiful water supplies, but that link has long ago been severed,” Western Growers president Tom Nassif said in a statement. “Wildlife agen- cies often hold the key to determining how much water is available, because endan- gered-species laws reserve water for protected ﬁ sh.” Nassif and others pointed to the passage of federal water legislation in December that included increased ﬂ exibility in the state’s water system. CFBF President Paul Wenger noted that the legislation — the Water Infrastructure Im- provements for the Nation Act — allows agencies to capture more water during winter storms and requires them to maximize supplies. Some farms in the San Joaquin Valley received only 5 percent of their normal Cen- tral Valley Project allotments last year after the whole val- ley received no federal water for agriculture in 2014 and 2015. The State Water Project has already increased its pro- jected allocation to 60 percent of requested supplies, up from a 20 percent initial allocation. The U.S. Bureau of Recla- mation typically makes its ﬁ rst allocation of CVP water in mid-February, though last season’s was on April 1. Bureau spokesman Louis Moore said this year’s initial projection is “in the works,” though he doesn’t know when it will be announced. He said the snow surveys are a factor in determining allocations, and the WIIN Act may be. 130 93 Courtesy of Calif. Dept. of Water Resources From left, scientists Michael Peterson, Julianne McCall and Mikel Shybut assist state snow surveys chief Frank Gehrke with the sec- ond manual survey of the 2017 season Feb. 2 at Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada east of Sacramento. “This is actually still early for us to know what that (al- location) would actually be,” Moore told the Capital Press. “I would say that conditions are improved, and folks are looking at what this could mean.” But water ofﬁ cials say they don’t consider the drought to be over. State Climatologist Mike Anderson said eight of the last 10 water years have been dry, and this winter could be “one wet year in a string of dry ones.” Ofﬁ cials note that some Central Valley communities still depend on water tanks and bottled water, ground- water tables are still low and Lake Cachuma in Santa Bar- bara County is at just 12 per- cent of capacity. One problem is that Cal- ifornia is essentially getting too much precipitation too quickly, said Michelle Mead, a National Weather Service warning coordinator in Sac- ramento. As some parts of the Sierra Nevada got nearly four times their normal precipita- tion in January, “there’s really no place to put all this water,” Mead said. Idaho By the end of a wet Jan- uary, some Southern Idaho basins were already near or above their usual peak snow- pack levels for the entire win- ter, according to a water sup- ply outlook recently issued by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. For a second consecutive month, storms inundated the state south of Idaho’s Salmon River. Monthly snow accu- mulation ranged from 200 to 250 percent of normal in the Bear River, Malad, Portneuf, Bruneau, Jarbidge and Camas Creek basins, according to the report. The Boise, Big Wood, Lit- tle Wood, Big Lost, Hoback, Greys, Willow, Blackfoot, Goose, Salmon Falls and Owyhee basins received from 130 to 185 percent of average precipitation for the month. “The jet stream brought a lot of moisture into the south- ern half of Idaho, and that’s where we received signiﬁ - cantly more moisture than normal,” said Ron Abramov- ich, NRCS snow specialist for Idaho. The Weiser and Payette ba- sins received between 110 and 116 percent of normal January snowfall, while Northern Ida- ho was below normal, with the Kootenai, Priest, Coeur d’Alene and Spokane basins receiving 65 to 70 percent of usual monthly snowfall. Abramovich said moun- tain snowpack usually peaks in late March to early April. But by the beginning of Feb- ruary — with 40 percent of winter still remaining — the Bear River basin was already exceeding its peak snowpack, and the Portneuf Willow and Blackfoot basins in southeast Idaho were at 95 percent of their peak. The Upper Snake had 81 percent of its usual peak, with mountain snow- packs ranging from normal to 160 percent of normal. Streamﬂ ow forecasts to end the month were also rosy throughout Southern and Eastern Idaho, led by predic- tions of double the normal streamﬂ ows in the Bear and Owyhee basins. Abundant streamﬂ ow, ranging from 140 to 175 percent of normal, was also projected for the Big Wood, Little Wood, Wil- low Creek, Portneuf, Salmon Fall and Bruneau basins, as well as in the Snake River at the Heise gage and in Upper Snake River tributaries. Reservoirs throughout the state are also catching up to their normal ﬁ ll levels after most entered the winter below normal. The Boise reservoir system ended January at 102 percent of normal, the Pay- ette system was at 99 percent of normal, the Magic, Little Wood and Mackay reservoirs were from 127 percent to 145 percent of normal and the eight major reservoirs in the Upper Snake system were at 96 percent of normal. Abramovich said tem- peratures have stayed cold in the valleys throughout most of the winter, leading snow to accumulate in residential areas and making the winter seem even more severe to Ida- ho residents. Early February has brought warmer tempera- tures, leading to ﬂ ooding in some areas. For example, the Idaho Transportation Depart- ment closed Interstate 86 on Feb. 6 from the I-84 junction to th Rockland interchange due to deep, standing water. Abramovich said there’s a good chance some ear- ly February storms may hit Northern Idaho. However, National Weather Service me- teorologist Bob Survick said warm temperatures accompa- nying a 36-hour storm starting on the evening of Feb. 9 could result in rain up to 8,000 feet in the mountains, potentially eroding some of the abundant snowpack. 120 120 Percentage key (As of Feb. 7) 168 161 160 Unavailable Less than 50% 50-69% 70-89% 90-109% 110-129% 130-149% More than 149% 144 113 104 116 92 160 156 132 125 139 Miles 0 Source: USDA, Natural Resources Conservation Service is healthy nearly two-thirds of the way into the snow accu- mulation season. However, unless it increas- es from its current level, Or- egon’s snowpack would still be below normal at the tradi- tional peak in early April, said Julie Koeberle, a hydrologist with USDA’s Natural Re- sources Conservation Service “The threat of rainfall in the mountains is there,” Koe- berle said. “We’d rather not see it rain in the mountains. We’d rather it continue to build as snow.” It’s been cold enough during recent storms for most precipitation to be deposited as snow, but there’s a poten- tial for the snow level to rise to higher elevations, she said. Rain wouldn’t likely have much deleterious effect on the snowpack in higher-elevation mountains, but it could melt snow at lower elevations, Koeberle said. The Owyhee basin in southeast Oregon has the strongest snowpack in the state, at 160 percent of aver- age, followed by the Willa- mette basin in Western Ore- gon, which is 150 percent of average. The Grande Ronde, Pow- der, Burnt and Imnaha basin in Northeast Oregon has the weakest snowpack at a re- spectable 109 percent of av- erage. While current snowpack levels bode well for summer stream ﬂ ows, it’s worth noting that Oregon was also in robust shape last winter, Koeberle said. Record-high temperatures in April 2016, however, di- minished snowpacks to the point where many streams were running below-normal in the summer, she said. Due to low stream ﬂ ows and strong irrigation demand, most of Oregon’s reservoirs were at below-average levels when the rainy season began 150 300 Capital Press graphic last autumn, according to USDA NRCS. Some reservoirs are now approaching average levels, but many have yet to catch up despite the improved wa- ter situation, the agency said in its February water outlook report. The Hood, Malheur and Powder basins were faring the worst in early February, with reservoir levels below 35 per- cent of average. At 160 per- cent of average, the Grande Ronde basin had the strongest reservoir levels. Washington It’s been a great snow year for much of the West Coast, but not for most of Washing- ton state, the Idaho panhandle and Western Montana. A high pressure system off the Washington coast in Jan- uary caused La Nina storms coming from the south and mixing with arctic air to ric- ochet back southward and dump on Oregon, Southern Idaho and California, says Scott Pattee, Natural Resourc- es Conservation Service water supply specialist for Washing- ton. Normally, La Nina storms skirt high pressure to the south and deliver lots of snow to Washington, the Idaho pan- handle and western Montana, he said. High elevations have been Grass Expertise. Over 40 Years Experience LET’S TALK! SOIL PH APPROACHING 10.0? PLANT HERCULES TALL WHEAT GRASS. GREENWAY SEEDS Caldwell, Idaho • Alan Greenway, Seedsman Cell: 298-259-9159 • MSG: 298-454-8342 Alan Greenway, Seedsman ily Fun m a F Oregon With a statewide snow- pack that’s 134 percent of av- erage, Oregon’s water outlook Joyce Capital, Inc. Adults: $5 CASH ONLY Under 18: FREE FREE PARKING In agriculture, nothing is certain. Your interest rate should be. Saturday We offer competitive interest rates for your agricultural financing needs: • Term agricultural loans (purchases & refinances) 108 131 dry and cold while elevations of 3,500 feet and lower have been at or above normal pre- cipitation in Eastern Washing- ton, Pattee said. “In spite of what people see out their windows, the snowpack is behind average up in the mountains. There have been storms coming through but their focus has been in Oregon. ... So we’ve been getting the fringes,” said Chris Lynch, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation hydrologist in Yakima. The fringes swipe the Low- er Columbia Basin, around Mount St. Helens, which is at 123 percent of normal snow water equivalent, Pattee said. “It’s been one of the driest Januarys since the late 1970s. Seven SNOTEL sites were at or below record for the month of January,” he said. SNOTEL (snow telemetry) sites are an automated sys- tem of snowpack and related weather sensors operated by NRCS. Weekend storms on Feb. 4-5 ﬁ nally brought a lot of snow to much of the state. One of the best examples: Morse Lake SNOTEL site up the Lower Yakima toward Cayuse Pass received 42 inch- es of snow in just three days. Statewide snowpack jumped from 91 to 102 per- cent of normal, Pattee said. “If we can get one more dump like this and then cool off and get maintenance snows through March, it would make a huge difference,” he said. Whether that will happen is a big question. The outlook for the next 30 days is warm and wet and beyond that it’s cool and wet, he said. Snow water equivalent snowpack in the Spokane Ba- sin was 82 percent of normal on Feb. 6. The upper Colum- bia (Okanogan and Methow rivers) was 99 percent. The central Columbia (Chelan, Entiat and Wenatchee) was 94, the upper Yakima was 80 and the lower Yakima 94. The lower Snake near Walla Walla was 89, south Puget Sound (from Cascade crest to lowlands) was 98, central Puget Sound 103, north Puget Sound 86 and the Olympics 106. As of Feb. 6, the ﬁ ve mountain reservoirs serving the Yakima Basin were at 47 percent capacity and 93 per- cent of normal, Lynch said. Warmer winters and springs the past several years have ﬁ lled reservoirs sooner. The slower pace is more de- sirable, he said. 6-2/#17 Capital Press staff • FSA Preferred Lender Feb. 25th • 9-4 • Amortizations up to 25 years Sunday • Farmer’s Bounty Market • Local Farm Seminars • Artisan Vendors • 4-H Petting Zoo • Ag Tech • Free Face Painting Feb. 26th • 10-4 Mid-Valley Winter Ag Fest & Farmer’s Bounty Market CONTACT: Kevin Arrien, or Joe Lodge Polk County Fairgrounds and Event Center 520 S. Pacific Hwy West • Rickreall, OR 97371 See seminars at mvwagfest.com. at Joyce Capital, Inc. Agricultural Loan Agents (208) 338-1560 • Boise, ID joe@arrien.biz 6-2/#17 6-2/#T1D