Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on Wednesday in Klamath County.
Much of the south-central Oregon county is , according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, and the area is entering the spring with mountain snowpack well below normal.
鈥淭he Klamath Basin faces one of the most difficult water years in recent memory,鈥� Brown said in a . 鈥淢oving forward, we must look at long-term solutions to the underlying issue in Klamath and many other Oregon counties: there is too little water in the ground, and as the climate changes we are experiencing hotter, drier summers.鈥�
Drought has become more common in this part of Southern Oregon in recent decades, which has caused tension among water users.
to make up for dry soils left by last year鈥檚 drought. The ongoing trend of drought on drought on drought could make this year the worst in some time.
Mark Johnson, deputy director of the Klamath Water Users Association, said inflows to Klamath Lake are the lowest they鈥檝e been since the 1930s (which history buffs will recall as the era of ). The lake itself is starting the spring about a foot lower than it was last year at this time.
鈥淲e鈥檙e going to be looking at any assistance available to get people through this year, especially coming off of a drought last year. The ground is just that much drier,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just compounding the need for more water.鈥�
Irrigators in the Klamath Project, , could receive less than a quarter of the water this year than they have historically.
The ill effects of drought reach far beyond irrigated fields to and , at the , upland forestry, and more.
鈥淚t affects all aspects of the watershed,鈥� said Bill Lehman, executive director of the . Water quantity affects water quality, and less water typically isn鈥檛 good.
鈥淲hen you have multiple drought years on top of one another or back-to-back, your soil conditions, everything is dry. Your water table is lowered. All of those water quality concerns get worse.鈥�
The Klamath County Commission declared a drought emergency in early March. The governor鈥檚 order frees up additional state resources to assist the county throughout the summer.
Johnson praised the governor for signing the emergency declaration quickly.
Johnson and Lehman both added that stakeholder groups including the Klamath Tribes (), irrigators, nonprofits and government agencies are working together to develop solutions to endure this drought year and also to find compromise for the future.
鈥淲e have to consider all of the water savings options that are available to us,鈥� Lehman said.
Most other Oregon basins are as winter gives way to spring. Still, nearly 80% of the state is experiencing some degree of drought.
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