Drought emergency: Gov. Inslee expands declaration to nearly half of Washington
A map of drought declaration areas provided by the Washington Department of Ecology on May 20, 2019.
OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Washington Gov. Jay Inslee on Monday expanded the drought emergency to cover nearly half of the state, citing poor water supply conditions along with warmer and drier weather expected through the summer.
On April 4, Inslee announced the initial drought declaration for the Methow, Okanogan and Upper Yakima Basins.
Now 24 more watersheds have been added:
Chelan, Colville, Cowlitz, Deschutes, Elwha-Dungeness, Entiat, Grays-Elochoman, Kennedy-Goldsborough, Kettle, Lower Chehalis, Lower Skagit-Samish, Lower Yakima, Lyre-Hoko, Naches, Nooksack, Queets-Quinault, Quilcene-Snow, Skokomish-Dosewallips, Soleduc, Stillaguamish, Upper Chehalis, Upper Skagit, Wenatchee, and Willapa.