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Natural Resources
Conservation Service
district conservationist
Dave Kreft addresses
journalists at a
makeshift snow course
marker as part of a
demonstration on
measuring the mountain
snowpack and calculating
water content Wednesday,
March 11, at the Mount
Spokane Nordic Center.
Natural Resources
Conservation Service
civil engineering
technician Doug
Rochester holds up the
tube used to take
snowpack measurements
and calculate water
content Wednesday, March
11, at the Mount Spokane
Nordic Center.
More information
Contact Natural
Resources Conservation
Service water supply
specialist Scott Pattee
at 360-428-7684 ext. 141
or
scott.pattee@wa.usda.gov.
Contact Natural
Resources Conservation
Service district
conservationist Dave
Kreft at 509-685-0858
ext. 115 or
dave.kreft@wa.usda.gov.
Water outlook gets 'C-plus'
Washington's snowpack is below
average so far, and stream flows
will be "moderately below" average
this summer as a result, the Natural
Resource Conservation Service's
March outlook report states.
Stream flow forecasts range from 60
percent of average for the Okanogan
area in the north to 98 percent of
average on the Green River on the
west side of the state for spring
and summer runoff.
The Tolt River basin is the only one
in Washington with snowpack totals
significantly above normal, at 125
percent. The Conconully Lake area,
near Okanogan, reported the lowest
snowpack conditions, at 41 percent.
Conservation service public affairs
officer Ron Nichols said the winter
has been so erratic, Washington's
average numbers statewide have been
shrinking.
"This last month, going into the
April 1 numbers, is really going to
determine whether we have a winning
hand or a losing hand in terms of
water," he said.
Nichols said current snowpack
conditions rate about a "C-plus,"
but demands for water have been
increasing over time.
"We get a little nervous when those
(snowpack) numbers start trending
down," he said. "You never know what
the final hand is going to be."
Colville, Wash.-based district
conservationist Dave Kreft said
lower numbers, like those in the
Okanogan and Chelan areas at 60 to
70 percent of average, are hard to
compensate for.
Kreft advised people who are heavily
dependent on small streams for water
to keep an eye out.
"It may not be as close to average
as we like," he said, "If we get
good spring rains, a slow meltoff,
we might be OK."
The service uses sampling tubes to
take a core sample of snow, which is
weighed and converted to inches of
water. About 70 percent to 80
percent of the late summer stream
flow depends upon how much snow
water is in the mountains at
springtime, Kreft said.
The service gets the information
from 68 automated snow data
collection sites, 96 active snow
courses and aerial markers, roughly
35 snow surveyors, 10 partners or
volunteers collecting close to 80
percent of the manual data and 800
SNOTEL sites in 11 western states
and Alaska.
The National Water and Climate
Center in Portland uses the
information to predict stream flow,
runoff and the ability for water
reservoirs to fill.
Kreft said the water content of the
winter snowpack helps provide
information for people dependent
upon water, including those using
irrigation water and working in
hydroelectric generation or barge
transportation.
Decision-makers in such fields use
the March report information to make
adjustments early, rather than make
harsh cuts mid-season, Kreft said.
Other agencies use the information
for flood forecasting.
Reservoir operators, hydroelectric
operators and managers use the
outlook report to determine how much
water to hold or release, while
biologists can determine what kind
of water needs are necessary for
fish, Nichols said.
The numbers are also critical for
the agricultural sector, Nichols
said.
"(Producers) can determine whether
or not to plant a particular crop,
to plan on more than one crop," he
said. "Managers and others rely upon
the snow measurements and accurate
stream flow forecasting."
The service's April 1 outlook report
is the most accurate predictor of
late-season stream flows.
"This March report gives us a good
idea of how close are we to
average," Kreft said. "Come April 1,
we'll have a really good idea of
what's going to be coming out of the
streams."
Matthew Weaver is based in Spokane,
Wash. E-mail: mweaver@capitalpress.com.
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