Oregon declares drought emergency

Oregon has declared a drought emergency in Baker, Deschutes and Umatilla counties after a dry winter left snowpack and runoff forecasts well below normal. (oregon.gov) Governor Tina Kotek issued Executive Order 26-05 on March 26, 2026, and the governor’s office announced it March 31. The order runs through December 31, 2026. (oregon.gov) The order says Baker County requested relief on February 18, Deschutes County did the same on February 18, and Umatilla County followed on March 4. It directs the Oregon Water Resources Department, Oregon Department of Emergency Management and Oregon Department of Agriculture to help the counties respond. (oregon.gov) A state drought declaration does not create water. It speeds up emergency help, including state coordination and drought-related water permitting steps for counties that say supplies are already tightening. (oregon.gov) The trigger this year is snow, or the lack of it. Snowpack works like a mountain reservoir: it stores winter water and releases it into streams in spring and summer, when farms, towns and fish need it most. (drought.gov) Oregon hit a record-low April 1 snow-water-equivalent this year, according to Drought.gov and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. Capital Press reported the statewide snowpack at 15% of the 1991-2020 median on April 1, below the previous record low of 16% in 2015. (drought.gov; youroregonnews.com) Federal drought monitors show conditions worsening, not easing. The U.S. Drought Monitor map released April 9 said drought deteriorated in Oregon during the prior week even after some precipitation in the West. (droughtmonitor.unl.edu) Scientists say that points to shorter irrigation seasons and lower summer streamflows. Matt Warbritton of the Natural Resources Conservation Service told Capital Press, “This is going to be a much shorter irrigation season with the water that’s available.” (youroregonnews.com) More counties could follow. Oregon Capital Chronicle reported April 9 that Jefferson and Wallowa counties had already asked for declarations, and Jackson and Morrow counties were the latest to seek state drought relief. (oregoncapitalchronicle.com) The state’s drought process starts locally and moves upward. County governments ask for help, the Water Supply Availability Committee provides the science, and the Drought Readiness Council recommends whether the governor should act. (oregon.gov) For now, the declaration puts three counties at the front of what state officials and local reporting describe as a broader Oregon water crisis heading into summer 2026. (oregon.gov; oregoncapitalchronicle.com)