The wet and cold winter may have been a doozy for urban Oregonians, but for farmers all that snow was good news.
"For agricultural users that means that we are expecting a full supply of irrigation water since most of our reservoirs are going to be filling or are nearly full by the end of the runoff season," said Mary Mellema, a hydrologist with the Bureau of Reclamation.
In Malheur County, for example, the Owyhee Reservoir is expected to be full for the first time in five years. The hearty snowpack also means that all regions of Oregon are now considered out of drought.
Mellema warns that some reservoirs are having to release water because of flood risk.
"There’s a lot of runoff yet to come," she said. "That can make the rivers flow higher, and people should be careful near high water."
Copyright 2017 Oregon Public Broadcasting
