News Release

Governor's Report Identifies Areas of Continuing Drought

7/11/2002
Meta Boyer
406-444-5665
meboyer@state.mt.us

(Helena)-The Governor's Drought Advisory Committee released its statewide near-term outlook for the likelihood of impacts from continued drought conditions on Tuesday, warning that although the state is seeing improvement in water supply and moisture conditions, many of the effects of drought still remain and will take more time to dissipate.

The Governor's Report on the Potential for Drought - 2002, stops short of declaring that the drought is over in Montana. In fact, conditions are worsening in the southeast portion of the state and remain poor in much of the central, south central, and southwest parts of the state.

The committee notes improvement in crop conditions, surface water supplies, and in range conditions, but cautions that the state will continue to cope with the residual effects of drought for some time.

"We are encouraged by what we are seeing in some parts of Montana," said Governor Martz. "But we must remain aware of the real possibility that it is almost as likely that some places slip back into severe drought as it is that recovery will continue at its recent pace. Our wildfire season is still ahead of us and much of the state is still reeling from drought dating back from three to five years."

The report concludes that the outlook for continued drought impacts in Montana, through the month of July, remains High for livestock grazing and stockwater supplies, groundwater uses, surface water uses, including irrigation and instream uses in river basins that had below average water content of mountain snowpack, low soil moisture, and without stored water.
Areas that fall into the High risk category include the southwest, southcentral, southeast, and parts of the northcentral and central climate divisions.

"Because of ongoing drought conditions, we are particularly concerned about the southeast part of the state at this time," said Lieutenant Governor Ohs, the committee's chair.

The potential for continued impacts of drought through July is Moderate for surface water uses in river basins that experienced average to above average snowpack and mountain precipitation for streamflow runoff. Crop conditions, soil moisture, and livestock grazing has improved in some areas, but must see continued improvement in subsoil moisture to avert mid to late season drought impacts. The western, northcentral, and northeast climate divisions fall into the Moderate risk category for the listed uses.

"Local drought committees in counties in the Drought Alert and Severe drought categories should continue to meet on a regular basis and communicate their needs and concerns to the Governor's Drought Advisory Committee," said Lieutenant Governor Karl Ohs. "Although we recognize improvement in moisture conditions for some areas, this does not mean that the drought is over. Long-term impacts were several years in the making, and it will take a number of years to fully recover."

The Drought Committee meets today to again assess the conditions across the state. For more information on the Governor's Committee and drought, please call (406) 444-6628.

The Drought Monitoring Internet web site can be seen at:
http://nris.state.mt.us/drought

###