Desert Droughts in The Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest is often thought of as a rainy part of the country, but East of the Cascade Mountain Range, the climate and landscape changes drastically. Drought has begun to affect these areas due to glacier melt and extreme heat conditions, with 61% of the Pacific Northwest experiencing moderate to significant drought and 41% experiencing abnormally dry conditions (Drought Status Update, 2024). The map below provided by the drought monitor of Drought.gov shows the widespread effect of drought across the Pacific Northwest. A drought emergency is declared when water supply conditions are projected to fall below 75% of the average, with potential hardships and hazards due to the changed water supply levels (WA DOE, 2024). The State of Washington declared a state-wide drought emergency in April 2024, with the exception of the Seattle, Tacoma, and Everett metro areas in the Western area of the state.

The Pacific Northwest is showing improvements, but it does not mean that efforts cease or we can stop tracking conditions and progress. With global warming at our doorstep each year and wildfires ravaging the region, it is increasingly important to follow drought conditions closely. The following link is an update from Drought.gov which dives into deeper detail on the impacts of drought, temperature, and climate in the Pacific Northwest region through August of 2024. It expands on the projected changes following the drought map, and tracks changes and improvements through the summer months, while projecting positive changes heading into winter months.

Washington in specific has obligations to protect water supplies and usage per 100 year old water rights and treaties with Native American tribes to preserve waterways and ensure the curictal access for the members of the tribes (WA DOE, 2017). This comes in addition to the obligations and requirements to ensure efficient water use for all cities and communities within the state as well. The following video explains the importance of this preservation to our state-wide economy and water usage needs.

This webinar provided more information on the current regional conditions and outlooks. Additionally, the webinar featured special presentations on the National Water Prediction Service National Water Model and the Embedding Molecular Biology in Ecosystem Research (EMBER) hosted by the University of Idaho.

The triple bottom line of sustainability considers the social, economic, and environmental impacts of various issues and assesses how well a community or entire planet can sustain life, while equally maintaining these three areas for maximum efficiency and sustainability. Beginning with environmental impacts which are likely more well-known, wildlife is impacted from freshwater and habitat loss also resulting in higher disease among animals (NDMA, 2024). They are forced to migrate and stress is increased among their populations due to these changes. The plants and overall environment suffers from dry conditions, which result in increased wildfire impacts and soil erosion and loss of quality.

Also according to the NDMA, the economic impacts that result from the environmental decline start with agricultural crops and the farmer's ability to cover costs associated with water loss. Many businesses rely on farmers to supply the products they use or sell, and water companies must adjust to the impacts of water loss. Costs could increase due to lower production levels and people who work is agricultural or natural resource related jobs could be impacted by the effects of drought. Hydroelectric power could suffer from lower water levels in major rivers, impacting utility and energy companies directly. Social impacts result from both economic and environmental impacts, which include health issues related to low water flows, dust increases, or poor quality, or the loss of human life in severe cases. Public safety is impacted by wildfires, food depletion, and the possibility of having to relocate due to water loss or quality. Recreational activities such as winter or water sports are impacted, and incomes may be reduced from the dependency that businesses have on agriculture and cost changes.

To create the infographic above, I used the informative Drought Status Updates article from drought.gov mentioned previously, and an an article outlining the key impacts of snowpack on water flows and how that water is allocated as a natural resource, containing several key words contributing to this topic (Howe, 2024). Drought was a key word, followed by precipitation, pacific, climate, moisture, and the names of the states experiencing drought conditions in the Northwest. Temperatures, conditions, water flows, warnings, agriculture, conservation, reservoirs, and impacts are all words that stand out in this graphic and are heavily weighted in the issue of drought and recovery. The shape chosen for this graphic represents the portion of climate change that lies in the hands of the human population, and how our actions and lack of action directly influence these topics and results.

Precipitation includes the rainfall occurring in each region, which directly relates to the natural water resource levels. Precipitation can be tracked by the NOAA interactive weather forecast map, or through the NWCC iMap measurements of recent precipitation data below.

Tracking water quality from the EPA is a key metric because plentiful water levels create further problems when the water is contaminated. Water quality must be maintained through droughts and other extreme conditions. The EPA provides a real-time indicator map identifying different levels of risks in a detailed format.

• Household usage (gallons): Household usage would be tracked through an individual's water company who notes how much water is used within the household. These measurements can be used to track the effects of personal water conservations techniques.
• Regional usage (metric tons or gallons per day): Regional water usage is periodically measured to note which regions are consuming the most water and how this changes over time. Improvements in this area result form improved agricultural and residential water conservation. The map below can be used to view the most recent water consumption data across the country.

As mentioned previously, snowpack levels are crucial to the water supplies for the Pacific Northwest. The interactive map below helps to explore the water levels resulting from the snowpack in the area.

The Palmer Drought Severity Index is a general scale of -5 (extremely dry) to 5 (high moisture) indicating national conditions. According to drought.gov, anything -4 or below indicates extreme drought (US PDSI, 2024). This can be used to see both the localized and expanded view of the levels of the index across the U.S.

The percentage of the area with moderate to exceptional drought is more of a regional view of drought levels. The USDM provides an interactive map detailing the levels of drought along a scale, with broad areas shown instead of the slightly higher detail of the PDSI map. This is still a key indicator used in several updates given by drought.gov on the current conditions of the Pacific Northwest.

Water scarcity will affect individuals, communities, states, regions, countries, and the globe. Combating symptoms of drought at the individual and community levels will contribute to global water usage and recovery goals, and will sustain communities through fluctuating conditions. There are tangible actions that can happen within the home, and at the city, state, and national levels.

Water your lawn in the cool parts of the day, plant less water-dependent plants, and keep your lawn at 2 inches to retain moisture and help conserve water usage (RFOHL, 2024).

Check appliances and pipes for leaks, choose efficient options, and upgrade when needed to minimize consumption.

Take shorter showers, reuse clothing before washes, and turn off the tap while washing dishes or hands.

Compost food materials instead of using the garbage disposal, recycle grey water, and utilize water collection methods where possible.

Washington State has their own suggestions of how to conserve water in the household, and provides some detailed methods to improve efficiency (WA DOE, 2024). Staying up to date with local regulations and suggestions will help residents do their part to individually minimize water impacts.

The Key Performance Indicators listed in the sustainability assessment potion should be monitored and used as means of improvement for the Pacific Northwest. Precipitation, water quality, water usage, snowpack levels, the Palmer Drought Severity Index, and the area in moderate to exceptional (above extreme) drought percentage should all be utilized to track worsening and improving conditions to help prepare and recover from the impacts.

The following article lists ways for farmers and ranchers to assure they are doing their part to conserve water and prepare for drought such as regulatory maintenance and efficiency of irrigation systems, track water usage and soil moisture, and utilization of water-friendly crops (OR Water Resources, 2015).

The EPA is a gource to help the Pacific Northwest implement national drought recovery and conservation standards. The agency protects water levels by maintaining adequate infrastructures, replenishing aquifers via water collection, promoting desalination and water reuse, and increasing overall sustainability (US EPA, 2024).

LEED certifications mentioned previously should be increased throughout the region to increase the number of housing, public, and government buildings that are certifiably maximizing water efficiency. The more green certified buildings we have, the less dependent we are on water sources, which helps improve drought conditions and prepare for the future of sustainability.

The last contribution that can happen regionally and globally is to consider the effects of water scarcity that may not apply to you, and to donate and allocate resources to those in need (Charity Water, 2015). Some communities experience health risks related to water scarcity, and they require outside help to recover. Finding local donation sites and volunteering time and water transportation can help to restore communities and assure resources are available to both the communities and farmers in need.