The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) maintains an extensive system to collect snowpack data in the western United States. This system is called SNOTEL (for SNOpack TELemetry). This system has been automated in the mountains of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington since the 1980s. Data from this system is providing us with an early warning of a significant water shortfall for this summer. As of April 14, 2005 the SNOTEL system estivated that the snowpack in the Oregon and Washington Cascades was only 25 to 45 percent of normal for April. While somewhat better, the snowpack in the Idaho mountains was only 50 to 70 percent of the long-term average. This low snowpack has serious implications for irrigated agriculture, power generation, fish runs, and recreation associated with the large tourism industry this coming summer throughout the Pacific Northwest. Our low snowpack will translate into low stream flows this spring which in turn will not provide enough water to fill storage reservoirs. The lack of adequate water in our reservoirs will limit the amount of water available for irrigation which in turn adversely impacts agriculture. Low stream flows will reduce the amount of hydroelectric energy produced causing our utilities to purchase higher priced energy from outside our region. Low stream flows will damage fish runs and reduce recreational opportunities (i.e. rafting, fishing, etc.) on our rivers. Dr. Richard Koenig, the drought coordinator at Washington State University, indicated that snow levels in the Cascades in January and February 2005 put the Pacific Northwest on pacr for a record drought year. Rains in March and April provided some improvement; however, the region is still faced with a major drought problem. Dryland farmers in eastern Washington, eastern Oregon, and Idaho face the prospects of diminished yields due to the lack of water. Farmers within the Columbia Basin Project are in good shape from a water standpoint because the Columbia River Basin snowpack in the Canadian Rockies is normal. Farmers west of the Cascades in Oregon and Washington are also in better shape today compared with February as increased rainfall is filling storage reservoirs.

Pacific Northwest Regional Water Quality Coordination Project Partners Land Grant Universities Alaska Cooperative Extension Service Contact Fred Sorensen: 907-786-6311 http://www.uaf.edu/ces/water/ University Publications: http://www.alaska.edu/uaf/ces/publications/ Idaho University of Idaho Cooperative Extension System Contact Bob Mahler: 208-885-7025 http://www.uidaho.edu/wq/wqhome.html University Publications: http://info.ag.uidaho.edu/Catalog/catalog.html Oregon Oregon State University Extension Service Contact Mike Gamroth: 541-737-3316 http://extension.oregonstate.edu/ University Publications: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ Washington Washington State University WSU Extension Contact Bob Simmons: 360-427-9670 ext. 690 http://wawater.wsu.edu/ University Publications: http://pubs.wsu.edu/ Northwest Indian College Contact Charlotte Clausing: 360-392-4319 cclausing@nwic.edu or http://www.nwic.edu/ Water Resource Research Institutes Water and Environmental Research Center (Alaska) http://www.uaf.edu/water/ Idaho Water Resources Research Institute http://www.boise.uidaho.edu/ Institute for Water and Watersheds (Oregon) http://water.oregonstate.edu/ State of Washington Water Research Center http://www.swwrc.wsu.edu/ Environmental Protection Agency EPA, Region 10 The Pacific Northwest http://www.epa.gov/r10earth/ Office of Research and Development, Corvallis Laboratory http://www.epa.gov/wed/ For more information contact Jan Seago at 206-553-0038 or seago.jan@epa.gov
	The Project Land Grant Universities, Water Research Institutes and EPA Region 10 have formed a partnership to provide research and education to communities about protecting or restoring the quality of water resources. This partnership is being supported in part by the USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Our Goal and Approach The goal of this Project is to provide leadership for water resources research, education and outreach to help people, industry and governments to prevent and solve current and emerging water quality and quantity problems. The approach to achieving this goal is for the Partners to develop a coordinated regional water quality effort based on, and strengthening, individual state programs. Our Strengths The Project promotes regional collaboration by acknowledging existing programs and successful efforts; assessing program gaps; identifying potential issues for cross-agency and private sector collaboration; and developing a clearinghouse of expertise and programs. In addition, the Project establishes or enhances partnerships with federal, state and local environmental and water resource management agencies, such as by placing a University Liaison within the offices of EPA Region 10.
	The water shortfall problem is greatest for irrigated areas east of the Cascades in Washington that depend on snowpack for their summer water needs. The Yakima Valley is a prime area of concern. To help alleviate problems in the Yakima Valley, emergency measures include: (1) trying to buy water from other basins, (2) bringing emergency wells on line, and (3) trying to pump more water from existing wells. Land grant institutions in our region have developed materials to help citizens cope with our projected drought situation. Key university sites include: WSU Drought Alert Web Site: http://www.drought.wsu.edu/ UI Drought Web Site: http://www.uidaho.edu/extension/drought/ OSU Web Site on Drought: http://wellwater.oregonstate.edu/drought.php WSU Experts and Contacts: http://www.drought.wsu.edu/experts.html UI Disaster Web Site: http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/disaster/ Other potentially helpful sites include: WSU Drought Publications: http://www.drought.wsu.edu/pubs.html UI Drought Publications: http://www.uidaho.edu/extension/drought/ OSU Publications: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/ University of Alaska Publications: http://www.alaska.edu/uaf/ces/publications/ USDA-NRCS: http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/wcc.html NOAA Web Site: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s663.htm University of Nebraska Drought Web Site: http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/monitor.html
	National Water Quality Program Areas The four land grant universities in the Pacific Northwest have aligned our water resource extension and research efforts with eight themes of the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Animal Waste Management Drinking Water and Human Health Environmental Restoration Nutrient and Pesticide Management Pollution Assessment and Prevention Watershed Management Water Conservation and Agricultural Water Management Water Policy and Economics
	This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U. S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No 2008-51130-4734.

Download the informational PDF flyer here

HOME | About | Calendar | Contacts | Links | PNW Water Updates | Sitemap NIFA National Water Quality Program This material is based upon work supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2008-51130-04734. all external sites will open in a new browser window page last modified on August 27, 2006