Lack of precipitation could put Idaho in multi-year drought

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) - Idaho could be headed towards a multi-year drought if the state doesn't receive some much-needed snowpack this winter.

This is the second driest spring in Idaho's recorded history, the only year with a drier March to July period occurred in 1924. 

In an update to water resource managers and news media, hydrologist David Hoekema with the Idaho Department of Water Resources explained the situation on Monday.

The exceptional drought Idaho experienced in Spring 2021 continued through July, combined with record setting average daily temperatures in June and July. The heat and lack of precipitation is having significant impacts on drylands agriculture and rangeland, according to Hoekema.

Storage in reservoir systems has gone dry, significantly impacting agriculture in smaller basins. Mountain Home Irrigation District and the Big Wood Canal Company shut down storage deliveries in June and the Big Lost Irrigation District ceasing storage deliveries in late July. 

As reservoir storage is quickly used up, Hoekema is concerned the state may be entering into a multi-year drought.

If the state faces limited water supplies for several years, it may significantly reduce the amount of aquifer recharge the state can carry out for a few years, according to Hoekema.

After farmers have finished irrigating this fall, hydrologists will analyze how much snowpack will be needed to pull the state out of the drought.

Hoekema is optimistic, though, as the tropical Pacific is lining up for another La Niña this winter, which typically brings higher than normal precipitation to northern Idaho, but could result in deepening drought across the southwestern United States and up into the Bear River basin.