Fall may be in the air, but the drought is still very much here. On Sept. 9, the City of Port Angeles declared a Stage III Water Shortage due to continuously decreasing flow in the Elwha River. This means there are immediate restrictions on outdoor water usage for Port Angeles and the Gales Addition, Mount Angeles and Monroe Water Systems.

Flows are below normal in the Dungeness River as well. Both rivers are primary drinking water sources for many Northern Peninsula residents.

Agricultural producers, especially small-scale farmers, are often at the frontlines of drought impacts. For many growers, the difficulty is not only surviving the current drought but adapting to anticipated droughts conditions in years to come.

This statewide drought emergency is the third in the past decade; drought emergencies were also declared in 2015 and 2021. All three of these have occurred due to low snowpack accumulation, leaving less runoff to feed our rivers.

Soil moisture sensors: Where’s the water?

Drought or no drought: farmers will always need water access to grow crops and provide us food. And as dry conditions become more frequent, understanding irrigation efficiency is increasingly important. Soil moisture sensors are a tool often used by farmers to improve water management.

These popular and cost-effective sensors contain a granular matrix that measures how much water in the soil is available to plants. Soil sensors can help growers adjust the length of water applications, reduce frequency of irrigation, or provide information about if water is truly percolating to plants’ root zones.

Cyndi Ross of Tahlequah Farm in Agnew, had four Watermark soil sensors installed on her currant farm two years ago by the Clallam Conservation District.

Tahlequah Farm grows black, red, and white currants in two small fields, each lined with drip tape and thickly covered in 3-6 inches of mulch. Ross heard about the sensors from a neighboring farmer who lived down the road. She saw they were able to determine when to water their pastureland based on the sensor’s reading.

“Before installation, I was watering the currants plants about once a week” Ross said. “I would rotate through my drip lines for about three days at time.”

However, once the sensors were installed, Ross’s irrigation schedule was completely changed.

“I discovered I was way over-watering,” Ross said.

Now, she only needs to water a few times a year. This season, Ross didn’t have to turn drip lines on until early July. She now bases her watering timing on the sensors: if the soil reads dry enough, she turns the water on. Ross’s farm is irrigated from well water.

“I will do whatever I can to not use our well water for outdoor purposes,” Ross said.

And in Ross’s case, soil moisture sensors have helped her do just that.

The WSU extension office has been trying to provide more technical assistance to small-scale farmers in Clallam, to better understand how water is being used in their fields. Since July, seven additional farms now have soil moisture sensors on their property. Our hope is that these can have similar impacts on vegetable farmers as they did for Tahlequah Farm’s currants.

Watering outside: Beyond our backyards

Local agencies providing technical assistance to help agricultural workers reduce water use is an important and necessary way to support small farmers. We residents can also support our local growers during drought. Choosing to let our lawns go dormant, planting a drought tolerant garden, not watering our rhododendrons, are all ways to support an irrigating farmer who works downstream.

Additionally, using less water in our yard allows for potential groundwater recharge and prevents even further decreases in streamflow.

Check out our website (extension.wsu.edu/clallam/water-conservation) for more outdoor water saving tips, resources about the drought, information about local water management efforts, water conservation events and more.

Already reducing your water use? Send us an email to share your water conservation tips and potentially be featured in a future issue!

Sammi Grieger is the Water Conservation Coordinator at the WSU Clallam County Extension Office in Port Angeles.