Withered crops and puny livestock; dead fish and swarming insects; laid-off workers, shriveling economies, and rural homes stranded without running water 鈥� these are just some of the calamities unleashed by a historic drought affecting all of Oregon and parts of Washington.
Oregon lawmakers heard grim updates from state experts in water science, wildlife, emergency management, and public health at the legislature鈥檚 Water Committee meeting Wednesday. Farmers shared stories of hardship, while a tribal leader navigating bitter water conflicts wondered what happened to his invitation.
This year鈥檚 conditions compounded impacts of a prolonged drought cycle said State Climatologist Larry O鈥橬eill.
鈥淚n 16 out of the last 22 years, Oregon has received below-average precipitation statewide,鈥� O鈥橬eill told lawmakers at the informational hearing.
This year, spring and summer precipitation in Oregon neared the lowest ever level recorded in 127 years of data. Meanwhile, high temperatures fueled more evaporation of surface water supplies.
鈥淲e had a record number of days above 90 degrees in many places throughout Oregon,鈥� O鈥橬eill said.
In the spring, snowpack melted earlier and faster than usual, leaving less water for streams and rivers over the summer, and prolonging drought conditions into fall.
Over the next three months, the climate forecast is looking up with above-average precipitation expected. This may provide some temporary relief, said state hydrologist Ryan Andrews with the Oregon Water Resources Department.
鈥淏ut it will be difficult to recover,鈥� he added.
The sustained drought is taking a toll on fish and wildlife, said Chandra Ferrari, Water Program Manager with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
鈥淥ur fish and wildlife are not having the recovery periods they used to, and so they are having to rebound faster and it鈥檚 problematic,鈥� she said.
The stress causes more cold-water fish like salmon and steelhead to die from loss of habitat, disease, parasites, and predators, according to Ferrari.
Water shortages are not limited to streams and rivers. The Oregon Health Authority recorded more than 300 wells going dry across Oregon this year, two-thirds of them in the Klamath Falls area. Lowered aquifers also plagued rural towns relying on groundwater.
鈥淲e had 15 public water systems that either had wells go dry, or surface water flows that were too low to supply,鈥� said Andre Ourso, an administrator for the Oregon Health Authority.
In Eastern Oregon, Prairie City had to haul in water by truck, said Morgan Gratz-Weiser, an advisor to Oregon Governor Kate Brown.
The Deputy Natural Resources Policy Advisor said the governor鈥檚 office is in the process of drafting a drought relief package for lawmakers to consider. Gratz-Weiser said immediate needs include direct assistance to municipalities and people who use domestic wells. She recommended aid for agricultural producers and irrigators who experienced losses, and funding for spring pesticide treatments to deal with swarming insects.
鈥淎 secondary disaster to drought is historical outbreaks of grasshoppers and crickets,鈥� Gratz-Weiser said.
As of Nov. 9, reservoirs used by irrigation districts had shrunk well below average levels. In the Deschutes basin of Central Oregon, Wickiup reservoir holds less than half the usual amount of irrigation water that is being stored for the next growing season. In Southern Oregon, the Klamath Basin鈥檚 Upper Klamath Lake reservoir held just 38% its average amount of water.
Klamath basin farmer Tricia Hill told lawmakers that the crises have stacked up--- with drought, poor air quality, aging infrastructure, and labor shortages.
鈥淲e saw a 30 percent increase in wages from last year and we still couldn鈥檛 get folks on the ground to help with harvest,鈥� said Hill, who identified herself as a fifth-generation farmer descended from Czechoslovakian settlers.
No Tribal representatives spoke at the hearing, and none appear to have been invited. Greg Mintz, a spokesperson for Water Committee chair Rep. Ken Helm, said in an email that the hearing was 鈥渙ne component of an ongoing focus on these topics.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 not sure there鈥檚 a real active attempt to involve the Tribes,鈥� said Chairman of the Klamath Tribes Don Gentry.
In an interview, he described how this year鈥檚 drought hurt sacred fish, and also stirred racist invective over the plight of farmers.
鈥淐onfrontations with people, ugly comments, social media posts slamming the Tribes 鈥� a lot of it is just marginalizing who we are, and what we stand up for,鈥� Gentry said.
The Klamath tribes have fought to protect treaty rights, and ensure the survival of endangered fish species in Upper Klamath Lake. In 1864, the Tribes ceded the title to 22 million acres through a treaty with the U.S., which promised 鈥渢he exclusive right of taking fish in the streams and lakes.鈥�
This year, water flowing out of the lake was shut off to farmers who rely on the federally managed irrigation system of canals, dams and reservoirs known as the Klamath Project. Even so, there wasn鈥檛 enough to meet the minimum needs of fish, Gentry said. He hopes the severity of a situation where everyone loses will catalyze more action.
鈥淚 would hope one positive consequence would be that folks would realize the reality of what we鈥檙e dealing with, and focus on solutions,鈥� Gentry said.
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