Water year is looking good

Farmers, ranchers, fishermen and whitewater rafters will all likely reap the benefits of a good dose of winter precipitation.

Though the winter has seemed long and wet, it has produced close to average snowpack, according to Deschutes County Watermaster Kyle Gorman.

Snowpack measures just a little more than normal, at about 116 percent of average, Gorman said.

Much of the snowpack formed late, in January and February.

"December things were pretty dry," Gorman said. "I was getting worried."

The heavy snows of January and the occasional dump last month have made for a good water year -- but the region won't approach the heavy snowpack of last year.

"We won't have a year like we did last year," Gorman said. "There's just not the water that there was up there last year."

This year, there is 17 inches in water content in the snow measured at Three Creeks Meadow, Gorman said. That compares to 40 inches of water content in 1999. Last year's snowpack measured 275 percent of average.

A "normal" water year is good news for creekside residents, who spent last spring watching for rising waters that could signal a major flood.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

• Email: editor@nuggetnews.com
• Phone: 5415499941