As you may have heard or read, on July 9, 2021, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency for Santa Clara County. The Santa Clara Valley Water Board of Directors has also declared a water shortage emergency for the county and called for a mandatory 15% reduction in water use from 2019 water use levels.
At the same time, due to the extreme heat in California, wildfires in Oregon and the high demand for electricity, the California Independent System Operator issued a Flex Alert last week. The Flex Alert encouraged California residents to take immediate steps to conserve energy to help reduce the strain on the power grid, limit possible power outages and minimize the risk of local wildfires.
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While part of state likely to avoid drought, still concerns over Washington farm country
(Photo courtesy of Washington State Department of Ecology)
Despite a relatively warm, dry winter, the Cascade mountain snowpack is strong, which is good news for parts of the state because it could help avoid a drought.
The state Department of Ecology says the snowpack has created a healthy outlook for areas that depend on spring snowmelt for their water supply. Unfortunately, places that rely more on rain and groundwater are expecting trouble, particularly Eastern Washington’s farm country.
The abundant snowpack is good news for the Yakima River Basin, but the current dry spell will impact soil moisture in wheat-growing and pasture areas of Southeast Washington. Dry conditions are causing concern for the Chehalis Basin as well, which is dependent on rain to feed the rivers and streams and recharge aquifers.