Sandison Nervous About Upcoming Summer

Summer is less than two weeks away, but some portions of the northwest are already dealing with summer like conditions, with low soil moisture levels, and low reservoir levels.  That one two punch has Washington state Department of Agriculture Director Derek Sandison very nervous.

Before his time with the WSDA, Sandison served as the director of the state Department of Ecology's Office of Columbia River, where he oversaw numerous water supply development projects.  He pointed out with already dry conditions, and hot weather expected later this week, it could be a challenging summer for producers.

“But again, the forecast this summer is still looking above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation, and we don’t see any kind of immediate relief in terms on potential impacts we could see with diminished well levels, and diminished stream flow levels.”

And Sandison pointed out, it’s not just central and eastern Washington dealing with dry conditions.  The expansion of the drought declaration issued by Governor Jay Inslee last month covered most of western Washington, including the Peninsula.

If you have a story idea for the Washington Ag Network, call (509) 547-1618, or e-mail gvaagen@cherrycreekradio.com