SALEM â The 2021 irrigation season is shaping up to be a tale of two Oregons.
River basins in the northern part of the state are in comparatively good shape, with snowpack at or above normal from Mount Hood to the Wallowa Mountains, according to the latest outlook from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Southern Oregon, however, is another story.
Exceptionally dry weather has pushed the region deeper into drought, threatening water supplies for both farms and fish. Local irrigation districts, facing all-but-certain shortages, are doing what they can to stretch what little water they have stored in lakes and reservoirs.
Rising seas, worsening wildfires endanger California parks cbs8.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from cbs8.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Climate change will make forests more susceptible to extreme wildfires. By 2100, if greenhouse gas emissions continue to rise, one study found that the frequency of extreme wildfires burning over approximately 25,000 acres would increase by nearly 50 percent, and that average area burned statewide would increase by 77 percent by the end of the century. California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment (2018)
Even those deeply familiar with every woody acre of Big Basin Redwoods home to ancient trees of such stature that many are named and curated the aftermath was unsettling.
“Going back into the park for the first time, it was very hard to believe what I was seeing,” said Chris Spohrer, state parks superintendent for the Santa Cruz region. “To see what a fire of that intensity could do was disorienting. The landmarks were gone, the colors were monochromatic. It took several visits for it to sink in, to get your bearings. It was shocking.”
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The Joint Board of the Owyhee Project tentatively set the water allotment for this yearâs irrigation season at less-than-full allocation, due to the low water storage in Owyhee Reservoir. However, the board will revisit the issue at a future meeting.
After some deliberation, the board voted to tentatively set the allotment at 3 feet per acre, a full foot below the normal allotment of 4 feet per acre. There was concern among board members that useable storage in the reservoir Tuesday was at 53%, with more than 500 acre feet needed to guarantee a full irrigation season with full allotment, according to the board.
Storms gave us a boost for water outlook in Owyhee Basin argusobserver.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from argusobserver.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.