Idaho Drought is a Crisis of Biblical Proportions

Some shareholders in Twin Falls County have perhaps 10 days of water. Then nothing. The news came out of a presentation at the West End Men’s Club in Buhl. As you move south through the county, drought worsens from severe to extreme, to exceptional. The U.S. Drought Monitor updates its Idaho map on April 14^th. Twin Falls, Cassia, and Owyhee Counties are the driest places in the state. Owyhee County appears to be the worst. Snowpack in the mountains was almost non-existent in winter. I don’t believe we’ve processed just how serious the situation is.

There's a Serious Vibe Shift

I started to realize the crisis when I would talk to people in government, water management, and agriculture. In midwinter, they would warn trouble was ahead, but we’ve often been here, and then the mountains got pummeled by storms in February. At the end of March, I could see the worry in their eyes and on their faces. Friends, the threat is real and immediate. It’s also long-term. A lot of operations face extinction, which means even with a good season next year, a lot of people will have thrown in the towel.

Fire Danger is Looming on the Horizon

Obviously, another fear is fire. Depending on where you get your news, there have been massive cuts to two wildland firefighting efforts (I’ve read some contrarians). Regardless, big or small budget, the threat remains, and some fires are so stubborn that they defy serious attack. We saw that in central Idaho a couple of years ago.

A prediction: If the current pattern continues for a couple of more years, you’ll see a mass exodus from southern Idaho.