As the summers get drier, the challenges will rise

This editorial was published in the Yakima Herald-Republic.

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You don’t have to be in agriculture to know that the Yakima Valley’s been suffering through a severe dry spell.

After two straight years of drought, the signs are everywhere — shrunken reservoirs, bare mountaintops, fallow fields. We’re in the midst of the sixth declared drought in the past 10 years.

At the rate we’re going, Department of Ecology drought expert Caroline Mellor warned in a recent interview with the Herald-Republic’s Questen Inghram, Washington will be experiencing droughts 40% of the time because of skimpy snowpacks.

As devastating as dry years can be for farmers, the increasing problem puts a strain on all of us.

The agriculture industry can get a measure of relief through state and federal emergency funds, but that could eventually siphon away money from public schools, health care or environmental programs.

When things dry up, everybody suffers.

But as the climate changes, the challenges are certain to mount.

We just endured the second-warmest July in state history which, among other things, added considerable demand on our power grid and raised wildfire risks.

For their part, some local farmers have responded to drier years by switching to crops that need less water, digging retention ponds and investing in a range of equipment that squeezes out greater efficiency.

The costs, however, can be prohibitive — especially when ag revenues are being undercut by reduced irrigation allocations.

State Ecology officials estimate that when allotments are turned back by half, local revenues fall by anywhere from 18.1% to 30.4%. That means the loss of more than 7,000 jobs.

The severe drought of 2015 cost Washington an estimated $700 million to $1.2 billion, Ecology figures.

Other mitigation ideas include drilling emergency wells, but those can damage local aquifers and make long-term recovery more problematic. They might offer short-term relief, but in the long run, experts say, they simply aren’t the answer.

For now, state officials are cautiously predicting a wetter winter ahead. With any luck, the snowpack will build back and next summer might not be so severe.

The problem isn’t going away, however. And as state and national initiatives to add new housing to accommodate rising populations in desirable regions like ours clear the way for more growth, water will become even more critical.

The answers won’t be easy. The inevitable sacrifices we’ll all face won’t be, either.

TNS