TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — The final Idaho Water Supply Committee meeting of the winter and spring season painted a dire picture for the state’s water outlook heading into summer.
Erin Whorton with the Natural Resources Conservation Service said nearly the entire state is now facing drought conditions.
“About 80 percent of Idaho is considered to be in drought right now, with the other 20 percent considered to be abnormally dry, given that we’re expecting to have a warmer than normal summer,” Whorton said.
This time last year less than a quarter of the state was experiencing drought.
Whorton said this winter’s unusually warm temperatures prevented snow from building at lower elevations and because Idaho depends heavily on snow for its water, the impact is already showing up in rivers, streams and reservoirs.
“Snow pack provides about 75 percent of our surface water here in Idaho, and that just means that we’re going to see really low levels in our rivers, streams, and lakes in the summer,” Whorton said.
Statewide snowpack has already melted by about 85 percent, leaving very little remaining snow in the mountains heading into the warmer summer months.
According to Whorton, the snowpack peaked weeks earlier than normal, due to a heat wave in March, which triggered rapid melting across the state.
“Cooler wet conditions in April kind of helped prolong the snowpack, and we did get some snowfall in the mountains. But then, you know, starting at the beginning of May, it got warm again and dry, and so the snow pack has been melting just very rapidly,” Whorton said.
Whorton said Southern Idaho is at the epicenter of this drought crisis, with the worst conditions in the entire state, creating major concerns for agriculture and water supply.
“Many farmers are having to tap into alternative sources of water, like reservoir storage water, much earlier. So that’s like tapping into your savings account earlier than even normally and now that water has to stretch even farther throughout the season,” Whorton said.
The National Weather Service officials also warn that above-normal temperatures are expected to persist throughout the summer, with the potential for increased wildfire concerns across the region.
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