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Drought Gradually Easing in Montana

By Beacon Staff

HELENA – Runoff from ample mountain snowfall last winter and spring has filled Montana’s streams and reservoirs, bringing the state closer to ending a nearly decade-long drought.

But Jesse Aber, water resources planner for the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, said there’s always a chance that drought-like conditions might return.

“I would say that the recovery from the drought period from 2000 to 2005 continues,” Aber said. “But coming out of drought is like going into drought: It doesn’t happen all at once. Recovery is happening in fits and starts. Three’s always a chance that we can see drought-like conditions.”

Of 18 reservoirs controlled by the Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, 15 are full or nearly full. Most of Montana’s 14 reservoirs managed by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are at above average levels.

Tim Felchle, who monitors Montana’s federally owned reservoirs for the bureau, said he expects all bureau water users to receive their full allotment this year.

“We expect to have good carryover storage going into next year,” he said.

Forecasters predict average flows in the Columbia, Missouri and Yellowstone river basis through July.

Currently only three counties — Toole, Pondera and Teton — are experiencing moderately dry drought conditions. Glacier County is the only part of the state that still has the severe dryness seen throughout most of the state in 2004, said Gina Loss, with the National Weather Service in Great Falls.

“We were doing really well in that regard,” said Loss. “We had some moisture in the autumn, and spring storms gave us a really good snowpack. Stream flows, reservoir storage look really good. The one problem we’re having is more of a short-term problem.”

Loss said there’s a 40-50 percent chance that temperatures in July and August will be above normal over the western half of Montana and a 33 percent to 40 percent chance that the eastern half of the state will see above-normal temperatures.

“It can play out in almost any way from this point forward. If the precipitation were to cut off today, and all you had to bank on were the reservoirs, then we’d probably be OK this year,” Loss said. “But once those water users took the water out of the reservoirs, there would be nothing to replenish that, and we’d be going into the next year with a shortfall.”

Aber said the moisture levels throughout the state are promising, considering what Montana has experienced for most of this decade.

“I would say that in any given year you’re going to see vulnerabilities in dryland farming, and livestock water is sometimes an issue,” Aber said. “But the way our water supply and ground moisture is for the most part, is really good.”