After a promising start to the year, unusually hot and dry weather has severely affected Idaho’s water supply outlook, which could lead to water shortages in the near future.
David Hoekema, a hydrologist with the Idaho Department of Water Resources, sent out a news release describing the unusually warm and dry spring this June. From April to June, the news release said, Idaho recorded its fourth driest year, dating back to 1895.
“The spring rains are also important from an agricultural demand perspective because they moisten the soil, really reduce the amount of diversions in the springtime and we get about a quarter of our typical annual rain between April and June,” Hoekema said. “So, when that doesn't materialize, it means there's a lot more irrigation demand in the rivers and reservoirs and then we get a lot less snowpack converted into runoff to flow in and fill those reservoirs.”
With the forecast looking dry, IDWR wanted to warn water users to use water cautiously.
“We're just trying to get the word out to those water users and water managers that it looks like we're not going to get that abundant water supply we're expecting,” Hoekema said. “Things are going to get tight towards the end of the year.”
Many regions fall 0-2%, meaning these conditions happen only once every 50-100 years. These conditions are prompting the use of a different water source like rivers and reservoirs which are draining faster than normal.
While shortages may be on the horizon, Hoekema says there is a way for Idaho to recover.
“it's not all doom and gloom there. We could end up with an adequate water supply at the end of the year if we had some unusual situations in the summer didn't end up being as warm,” Hoekema said. “Maybe If we had a cooler summer where we had some monsoonal activity, which is rare in Idaho but occurs. There are some things that we might conserve a bunch of water and then at the end of the year find we have extra. But that's always a bonus.”
But if the hot and dry weather continues on its trajectory, southeastern Idaho could see real water shortages soon.