by Anna V. Smith

Journal reporter

The dry spell on San Juan Island has continued as the tone of urgency toward the drought in Washington state has increased.

Governor Jay Inslee declared a statewide drought emergency on May 15.

Although local officials assure there’s no immediate threat to drinking water supplies, a 30-plus year low precipitation level in the months of April and May, combined, means that antennas of precaution are beginning to rise.

Due to Washington’s reliance on snowpack for runoff into rivers and general irrigation, the “snow drought,” as some have called it, is affecting farmers and those in Eastern Washington first and foremost. Washington’s average rainfall has been normal, but the issue has been compounded by slow drought aid response. The Department of Ecology requested $9.5 million in aid in March. The Washington Department of Agriculture has projected a $1.2 billion loss in agricultural-related products from the impact of the drought.

Unlike many areas of the state, San Juan County does not rely on snowpack but primarily on reservoirs and groundwater, in addition to desalinization, rainwater catchment and trucked water.

“The precipitation over the last three months is 2 inches a month less than normal, a significant decrease,” said Paul Kamin, general manager at Eastsound Water User’s Association on Orcas Island. “But because of the above normal rainfall over the winter, all of the surface water systems are in near normal condition.”

“What I’ve seen that’s more curious is an uptick in demand. We’ve seen a 10-15 percent increase in demand over the last few months [county-wide],” Kamin added. “The first hypothesis is because of drier conditions, people are initiating irrigation efforts earlier than normal; lawns that are unwatered are browning a month earlier, there is also an early increase in visitors due to the warm weather which results in higher usage.”

Kamin said that Orcas Island has not been drastically affected by the lack in precipitation but they will be closely monitoring the water levels until October. The most problematic scenario would be a drought that lasts multiple years in a row, putting stress on the reservoirs and inadequately replenishing aquifers. Kamin advises homeowners dependent on a well to monitor their water levels so that they can go into conservation mode if needed.