A cool spring and plenty of snow was supposed to help Idaho water users avoid the shortages of years past.
But some places will still have to cope with smaller supplies, said Ron Abramovich, a hydrologist with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
A drier spring in the Big Wood, Little Wood, Big Lost, Salmon Falls and Oakley basins means those areas will still face a tight water year, Abramovich said. The shortages contrast with high snowpacks in the northern part of the state and at the headwaters of the Snake River that are expected to produce one last bump in stream flow levels once they melt.
The news isn't quite what was expected by the Salmon River Canal Company's 186 stockholders, said Karl Joslin, president of the company's board. Farmers relying on irrigation water from the Salmon Falls Basin will likely have to ration their supply, leaving some land idle, he said.
"I think at this date, we're starting to read the story as it is," Joslin said.
It's not clear why the snow didn't translate into better runoff, Joslin said. But the company suspects evaporation and absorption into the ground may have both played a role. It's a shame, he said, in a year with good crop prices that his customers want to take advantage of.
"It really just comes down to picking your crops that you want to produce, and possibly making some cuts on your other ones you wish to produce," he said.
Other water users in the state should still get by this year, Abramovich said, including those on the Upper Snake River. The concern elsewhere, he said, has been "yo-yo-like" temperatures that led to a surge in runoff in May and threatened to cause flooding in the Clearwater River in the northern end of the state.
After an extended cooler period, temperatures are set to increase this weekend, prompting the second jump in runoff, he said.
"It's those temperatures that really drive the snowpack," Abramovich said. "If everything was normal, you wouldn't need me."
Nate Poppino may be reached at 208-735-3237 or
npoppino@magicvalley.com.
