Laserfiche WebLink
KITTITAS COUNTY <br />DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS <br />PUBLIC WORKS — BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS <br />STUDY SESSION STAFF REPORT <br />STUDY SESSION DATE: April 22, 2024 <br />TOPIC: 2024 Drought Response <br />ACTION REQUESTED: Direct Staff <br />LEAD STAFF: <br />Arden Thomas <br />RECOMMENDATION: <br />Direct staff to initiate the Kittitas County 2024 Rural Area Drought Management Program. <br />BRIEFING SUMMARY: <br />• On April 16, 2024, Washington issued a state-wide drought declaration. <br />• In the Yakima Basin, senior water users are forecasted to receive their full <br />entitlements, but proratable users will receive 63% and junior users are subject to <br />curtailment. <br />• Kittitas County has made a commitment to prepare and implement a water <br />conservation program, which needs to include notification of curtailment risk. <br />• The proposed Kittitas County 2024 Rural Area Drought Management Program <br />includes water conservation education and outreach, exploring opportunities to <br />utilize the Ecology Drought Response Grant Funding, and drought -year water <br />rights leasing. <br />BACKGROUND: <br />On April 16, 2024, Washington issued a state-wide drought declaration. Per the April <br />Total Water Supply Determination forecast issued by the Bureau of Reclamation, Yakima <br />Basin senior water users are forecasted to receive their full entitlements, but proratable <br />users will receive 63% and junior users are subject to curtailment. In the May 15, 2014, <br />Settlement Agreement, which resulted in the Kittitas County Water Mitigation and <br />Metering Program, the County committed to implement a prepared water conservation <br />program in drought years, which must include notification of curtailment risk for historic <br />permit exempt well users. Water Resources staff has prepared the proposed Kittitas <br />County 2024 Rural Area Drought Management Program, which includes three program <br />elements: Water Conservation Education and Outreach, Ecology Drought Response <br />Grant Funding, and Drought -Year Water Rights Leasing. <br />DISCUSSION: <br />The Water Conservation Program Education and Outreach element will meet the <br />Settlement Agreement obligations for encouraging the consumption of minimal amounts <br />Page 1 of 3 <br />PUBLIC WORKS BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS WORK SESSION STAFF REPORT <br />