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Home My WebLink AboutR-2005-058 Declaration of Emergency regarding Domestic and Irrigation Water Systems (re: drought conditions)RESOLUTION NO. R-2005- 58 A RESOLUTION making a determination of emergency with respect to the City of Yakima's domestic and irrigation water systems. WHEREAS, pursuant to Yakima Municipal Code ("YMC") section 7.24.050, the city manager is authorized to impose certain conservation measures with respect to the irrigation water system of the City of Yakima ("City") upon a determination of an emergency by the city council; and WHEREAS, pursuant to a newly adopted section of YMC chapter 7.68, the city manager is authorized to impose certain conservation measures with respect to the City's domestic water system upon a determination of an emergency by the city council; and WHEREAS, on March 10, 2005, Govemor Christine Gregoire authorized the Department of Ecology to declare a drought emergency and Ecology Director Jay Manning then immediately signed a declaration for a statewide drought emergency, based on the extremely low snow pack in the mountains and record -low flows that are being seen in many rivers across the state; WHEREAS, as noted in Ecology's drought declaration, holders of proratable surface water rights are facing the prospect of receiving Tess than one-third of their usual supplies of water; and WHEREAS, the City relies in Targe part upon surface water in the Yakima River basin to provide water to customers of the City's Water/Irrigation Division for irrigation and domestic purposes; and WHEREAS, it appears that the water that will be available from the Yakima River basin for the remainder of 2005 is substantially less than normal and will be insufficient to meet the usual consumption of water by customers of the City's irrigation and domestic water systems; Now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF YAKIMA: There is hereby made a determination and declaration of a period of emergency with respect to supplies of water for the City's irrigation and domestic water systems. This determination of emergency is effective for the period beginning with the date of adoption of this resolution through December 31, 2005. ADOPTED BY THE CITY COUNCIL this 5t day of April, 2005. ATTEST: City Clerk or Paul George CHRISTINE O. GREGOIRE Governor STATE OF WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR P.O. Box 40002 • Olympia, Washington 98504-0002 • (360) 753-6780 • www.governor.wa.gov March 10, 2005 The Honorable Doc Hastings United States Representative 1323 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 Dear Congressman Hastings: Thank you for asking about the potential for drought in•our state and what you can do to help. I am sorry to report that our water supply conditions are in bad shape. Pursuant to state law, I have today authorized the Washington Department of Ecology to formally declare a drought emergency for the entire state. Across Washington, we have record low snow pack conditions and stream flows. Our precipitation has been well below normal, and things have been dry since January. Weather forecasts do not promise any relief, as the National Weather Service predicts dry, warm weather. through May. The junior irrigation districts in the Yakima River basin are expected to receive only 34% of their normal water supply. And there are an additional 200 water users in the basin, both communities and farmers, which are facing the prospect of no water supplies for the summer. There are similar conditions in many other basins, and junior water rights will likely need to be curtailed on both sides of the mountains. Even on the Westside of the state, our reservoirs will not Last through the summer without several large rain events. And while we have supply reservoirs on major rivers that help maintain river flows, record low tributary stream flows are already placing fish at risk. If these conditions persist, we will see late season aquifer problems, an early and extended fire season, and a wide range of repercussions to the state's economy. With the formal drought declaration, we will now open up the state's drought relief funds to provide assistance to farmers, communities and fish, and will reassign state staff to expedite emergency water supplies. We will be hiring state seasonal firefighters early and training National Guard members to ensure that we are prepared for any severe fires. While we hope for the best, we are preparing for the worst. Your offer for help is most timely. •*b 0 The Honorable Doc Hastings March 10, 2005 Page 2 In the short term, our most pressing issue on the federal front is the need to ensure continued federal funding to states to fight fires. While our state appropriates significant funding to respond to fires, we rely on federal funds to help cover firefighting expenses beyond our base resources. In federal fiscal year 2004, the amount of federal fire funds was $51.1 million. In FFY 2005, we saw those funds drop to $40.2 million. The President's proposed budget would reduce federal fire funds to $29.4 million. This reduction represents a major risk to the citizens and resources of the state. Your assistance in maintaining federal fire funds would be greatly appreciated. I am also concerned that agricultural crop damage could pose significant hardships to farmers and rural communities, especially later in this season. Your help in accessing federal drought relief and agricultural assistance funds would be most important. In the longer term, the drought reminds us of several important actions that remain unfinished and warrant your consideration. • We need the federal government to move forward on replacing the heavy air tankers used to fight fires throughout the country. For safety reasons, there are only 9 air tankers available nationwide, down from the 33 tankers just a few years ago. Access to tankers is essential in fighting large scale fires. We ask for your help in finalizing and implementing federal plans to replace the fire tanker fleet. • We need your assistance in securing an extension of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's (BOR) authority to deliver emergency water supplies during a drought. Given the Canadian snow pack, we are hopeful to avoid a drought on the Columbia River mainstem this year. However, our ability to secure water from BOR is key to avoiding water supply interruption along the river. We need your help in extending their statutory authority beyond the sunset date of September 2005. • We ask for your support for long -needed improvements in federal drought policies by enactment of the federal drought preparedness bill, including the firefighting provisions, and implementation of the national drought information system. With increasing demands and shifting climate in the Western states, we need to better prepare for managing our future water supply crises. 1. Today, we asked our affected farmers, businesses, and citizens to work together to get us through this drought. Your collaboration and support in these times will be essential to our success. Sincerely, aft44444.4 jt_ Christine 0. Gregoire Governor An original letter was sent to each member of the Washington State Congressional Delegation. BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT Item No. 17_4_4B For Meeting Of 4/5/2005 ITEM TITLE: 2005 Drought Emergency Resolution Ordinance to Impose Conservation Measures SUBMITTED BY: Dave Brown, Water/Irrigation Manager CONTACT PERSON/TELEPHONE: Dave Brown / 575-6204 SUMMARY EXPLANATION: On March 10, 2005, Governor Christine Gregoire authorized the Department of Ecology to declare a drought emergency and Ecology Director Jay Manning then immediately signed a declaration for a statewide drought emergency, based on the extremely low snow pack in the mountains and record -low flows that are being seen in many rivers across the state. We rely in Targe part upon surface water in the Yakima River basin to provide water to customers of the Water/Irrigation Division for irrigation and domestic purposes. It appears that the water that will be available from the Yakima River basin for the remainder of 2005 is substantially Tess than normal and will be insufficient to meet the usual consumption of water by customers of the irrigation and domestic water systems. The Domestic water system will be also relying on the three emergency back-up wells to meet consumption demands. The attached Resolution declares an emergency due to the drought conditions. Yakima Municipal Code ("YMC") section 7.24.050, the city manager is authorized to impose certain conservation measures with respect to the irrigation water system of the City of Yakima upon a determination of an emergency by the City Council. The attached Ordinance will authorize the City Manager to impose certain conservation measures with respect to the domestic water system upon a determination of an emergency by the City Council. Resolution X Ordinance X Contract Other (Specify) Funding Source (� APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL: �\ City Manager STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff respectfully requests City Council adopt the accompanying Resolution and enact the accompanying ordinance. BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION: COUNCIL ACTION: (A) Resolution adopted. RESOLUTION NO. R-2005-58 (B) Ordinance passed. ORDINANCE NO. 2005-16