Montana updating statewide drought management plan

HELENA — Leaders with the Montana Division of Pure Assets and Conservation say the metrics they use to measure drought have modified – and their statewide plan for responding to drought wants to alter as nicely.

“It was simply time,” mentioned Michael Downey, DNRC’s water planning part supervisor.

The present plan, which dates again to 1995, lays out how the state displays and identifies drought – together with triggers for formally classifying completely different ranges of drought and finally declaring a drought emergency. Downey says it’s been key for holding the general public knowledgeable on what the state of affairs actually is, and for justifying requests for federal drought help.

Downey mentioned the precise dedication of what counts as a drought gained’t change considerably, however the brand new plan will exchange a number of outdated drought indicators. He mentioned among the largest adjustments shall be in how leaders talk drought info.

“How we work together with folks and businesses and with the general public, and the way we do outreach to the general public, has utterly modified,” he mentioned.

DNRC has been listening to loads of issues about drought this yr from the water customers they work with. Laura Nowlin, coordinator for the Musselshell Watershed Coalition, mentioned many agricultural customers within the Musselshell basin have been planning for low water ranges since final fall. She mentioned the circumstances are just like final yr – one other unusually dry yr – however the reservoirs that maintain saved water have been drawn down.

Nowlin says a lot of the work her group does has been to plan for flooding – which has a way more quick impact.

“Drought, the impacts are simply tougher to see, and I’d say in all probability longer-lasting,” she mentioned. “The restoration interval – it is determined by how lengthy the drought lasts.”

As leaders have a look at potential updates to the drought administration plan, they’re going to get enter from seven regional stakeholder teams. Downey says they’ll embody many representatives from agriculture, but additionally outfitters and guides, municipal water methods and {the electrical} energy trade.

“I feel over the course of in all probability concerning the subsequent six months is the place we’re going to see our largest progress when it comes to a product that we will present,” he mentioned.

Pedro Marques, govt director of the Huge Gap Watershed Committee, says his group is participating in stakeholder conferences, and he’s planning to have a extra targeted interview with DNRC arising quickly. He says certainly one of his group’s large priorities has been bettering water storage. For instance, he says upstream water customers use extra irrigation water than typical, however that water absorbs into the soil and offers later moisture downstream. He hopes the state will have a look at choices like that in this course of.

“We would like the state to actually look creatively at what drought administration can imply,” he mentioned.

Downey says certainly one of their largest objectives shall be to alter the main focus of the plan.

“Response is what occurs while you’re in a drought,” he mentioned. “We need to transfer that dialog from response to preparedness. There’s been a drought in Montana in 21 of the final 22 years. Drought just isn’t one thing uncommon; we dwell within the arid West, and the calls for on our water provide are solely going up.”

DNRC has arrange a web based portal the place you will discover out extra concerning the drought administration plan and methods you possibly can present enter as the method continues.