Anacortes shares water to save local farm crops

Local farmers can rest a little easier this summer, as the city of Anacortes will release a portion of its share of Skagit River water to save crops impacted by this year’s drought.

The deal, made last week with the assistance of the state Department of Ecology, frees 4.8 million gallons of river water per day that is allocated to Anacortes to irrigate crops. The farms are in Irrigation and Drainage districts 15 and 22, an area encompassing Fir Island and the southern La Conner flats.

The city of Anacortes diverts this water by halting collection at its pump on the Skagit River. Farmers can then collect the water further downstream, with their own pumps and intakes.

Emergency water that farms buy from Anacortes can only be collected from the river during high tide because the river level is at a historic, fish-endangering low.

During high tide in Skagit Bay, the water level in areas near the lower end of the river is high enough to be safe for fish traveling upstream to spawn, said Larry Altose, communications director for the northwest division of the state Department of Ecology.

Last month Ecology allowed the irrigation districts to obtain emergency water from the Skagit County Public Utility District. However, PUD manager Bob Powell said that while his district is happy to help, it has less capacity to spare than Anacortes.

The deal with Anacortes is expected to save roughly 5,000 acres of crops, including beets, spinach and cabbage seed, all of which the Skagit Valley is a global leader in producing, according to a Department of Ecology blog post.

Governor Jay Inslee declared a statewide drought on May 15.

Since then, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has declared 18 counties in the state to be federal disaster areas.

Temperatures in Washington have averaged 20 degrees above normal this summer, while almost 70 percent of fresh water flows are running at less than 10 percent of their capacity.

The release from Anacortes, while unprecedented in the Skagit River basin, is not unique in the state.

Near Cle Elum, the Kittitas Reclamation District is releasing water into streams to help save endangered fish populations, as well as irrigation along the Yakima River.

Fish runs within the Skagit watershed are also imperiled, as low water flows can heat the water to fatal levels or completely cut off stream access to spawning grounds.

While the water will go far to assist already planted crops in the region, Altose was hesitant to describe the deal as perfect.

“We were told it might be a little short” he said, noting the large amount of water crops in the Skagit River delta require.

“It didn’t go all the way, but it made a major step on the way,” he said.