WA ecology department declares nearly statewide drought emergency

[cbabe]

https://crosscut.com/briefs/2024/04/wa-ecology-department-declares-nearly-statewide-drought-emergency

WA ecology department declares nearly statewide drought emergency

by Mai Hoang

Washington State Department of Ecology map showing that most of the state is now under a drought emergency. Several cities in the Puget Sound region are excluded because their water storage makes them more resilient to drought. (Courtesy of Washington State Department of Ecology)
The state Department of Ecology declared a drought emergency for most of the state Tuesday.

The department first noted the threat of drought after a dry start to the winter. While precipitation in the past three months contributed to an increase in Washington’s snowpack, there still isn’t enough water needed for farms, aquatic wildlife and people.

Snowpack is at 68% statewide, with several areas, including the Olympic Mountains, Lower Yakima and north Puget Sound region, having significantly lower numbers.

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[cilla4progress]

1. Scary.

Im on the dry eastern side of the state. We rely on ever-dwindling irrigation water. We lost our house to a wildfire in 1994, and have been on evac status level 3 at least once since.

[CrispyQ]

2. Last week I read my first article on US migration within the US.

People are fleeing areas impacted by climate change, drought, flooding, wildfire. I live in a drought/wildfire area. Tornados too out east a ways. There's a new genre of fiction called cli-fi - climate fiction. I've read a few.