Governor Gregoire Declares Drought Emergency for Neah Bay

For Immediate Release: September 11, 2006

OLYMPIA � Governor Chris Gregoire today announced that as of yesterday, a drought emergency has been declared for the northwest corner of Washington, from west of Port Angeles to Cape Flattery, encompassing Neah Bay and the Makah Indian Reservation. This area, known as Water Resource Inventory Areas 19 and 20, experienced a very dry summer and at least one community is experiencing a water supply shortage.

�The usually rainy and wet Olympic Peninsula has been severely affected by a very dry July and August and this area only has about one a half days of drinking water left,� said Governor Gregoire. �If we don�t do anything now, there will be several thousand Washingtonians without fresh water.�

The reservoir that supplies water to the Makah Indian Reservation and the town of Neah Bay is practically empty because the source stream, Educket Creek, is nearly dry. The Makah Nation declared an emergency last week, restricted water use and brought on line two new wells using temporary power sources. A portable desalination unit to turn ocean water into drinking water is being shipped to the reservation by the federal government as a back-up source of supply if the temporary wells are unable to supply sufficient water.

The emergency declaration directs state government to support activities to ease the effects of the drought, such as emergency water permits, temporary transfers of water rights and financial assistance.

�We continue to closely monitor all areas of the state,� said the Department of Ecology�s Water Resources Program Manager Ken Slattery. �We are keeping a close watch on rivers and streams and the communities that rely on them so we will be alert to any other problems due to dry conditions.�

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