Heavy, wet snow good for irrigators

Heavy, wet snowfall in the Sisters country has local irrigators looking forward to the first good water year they've seen in about three years.

According to Squaw Creek Irrigation District (SCID) Manager Marc Thalacker, the last numbers he heard indicate that the mountain snowpack is at about 120 percent of normal.

"Any time it's above 150 inches -- as long as there's good water content like there is this year -- you're going to have a good water year."

That means SCID should be able to provide a full allocation of water to all users -- perhaps as late as September.

The outlook is only guardedly rosy for the fire season.

According to Sisters District Ranger Bill Anthony, this year's snowfall is certainly welcome. It offers at least the prospect of taming the tinder-dry conditions that have fed major fires in the Sisters country the past two summers.

But a wet winter does not necessarily mean an easy fire season, he cautioned.

Wet conditions are good for growing grasses and other "fine fuels" that could increase the potential for fire.

According to Anthony, a lot depends on the spring. A wet spring with cool temperatures lasting into June will shorten the fire season, reducing the time of peak danger.

A dry spring and/or a hot June will put the Sisters country right in the middle of another volatile summer.