We’re in a drought at the end of February. Increasing demands are being put on a limited water supply. What can we do about it?

Change and shape the policies that govern how we use water.

One of the main reasons we appealed the Okanogan County Comprehensive Plan nearly two years ago was because it doesn’t align land uses and building densities with the amount of available water. Our Comp Plan needs to direct water to areas known to have legal and physical water available. While we are encouraged to see the new water availability requirements in the updated zone code, we recognize that this needs to be backed up by the foundational Comp Plan. We’ll keep you engaged in the Comp Plan and Zoning process as it evolves!

Make sure water is equitably shared across many uses.

Although we have little control over how much water flows in our watershed, we do have control over how much water we use. How can we equitably allocate water between homes, agriculture and the fish and wildlife that depend on it?

We’re always looking for solutions alongside several other organizations: The Methow Watershed Council aims to balance ecological and human uses of our water and educate our community about how we can do so. The Okanogan Conservation District is creating a water bank—an equitable exchange of water rights—that is responsive to the needs of the community.

Conserve water during the summer.

When our river flows begin dropping rapidly after the snow has melted is the time to start conserving water. During a drought (which we’re currently in and will be in through at least the summer) there is no relinquishment of water rights for non-use, so everyone can conserve water without affecting their rights. Where can you save on water? The Department of Ecology offers some key Water Conservation Tips

Be prepared for wildfire.

There are many different factors that go into producing a bad wildfire year but a low snowpack certainly can contribute. To prepare for wildfires, you can make sure you have a good way to filter your air for when the smoke arrives and prepare your home for wildfire with Firewise principles in case it arrives (bring your yard waste to Clean Air Methow’s chipping drive in April!). If you have larger acreages of forested land you might consider the DNR cost-share program to help thin out small trees and improve the fire resiliency of your backyard forest.

If you haven’t seen our short Living River film series that we produced last year we encourage you to watch one, two or all of them (2-3min each) to learn about what makes the Methow watershed unique, what threatens it and how we can protect it. Greg Knott of the Methow Watershed Council does a great job of explaining how connected our river and aquifer are and why we need to prepare for drought now in this video.

Watch the Living River Films