Central Washington farmers with junior water rights in the Yakima River basin had their water supplies cut again Thursday, as the Bureau of Reclamation told irrigators to expect 47% of full allotments.

Irrigation districts have started to ration water and plan to shut down earlier than usual in the fall, as the region faces its worst drought since 2015.

“This is going to be a tough year. We’re rivaling some of the worst years we’ve ever had in the Yakima basin,” said Urban Eberhart, manager of the Kittitas Reclamation District, which serves about 60,000 acres.

The reclamation bureau operates five reservoirs that irrigate a large swath of Central Washington. Farmers with senior water rights get full supplies, while holders of junior water rights face cutbacks in water-short years.

Water supplies shrink

The outlook has steadily worsened over the spring. The bureau forecast in March farmers would be cut back to 72% of full supplies. The number was down to 54% in early May. Rationing began May 21.

The Roza Irrigation District, which serves 72,000 acres, closed its canal for 10 days in late May to stretch out the irrigation season to the end of September.

With the new forecast, the district may have to shut down a few days earlier, district manager Scott Revell said. The district usually operates until mid-October to irrigate crops such as apples and grapes.

“There are going to be hardships this year,” Revell said.

The reclamation bureau will update the outlook in July. The bureau estimated the number could still drop below 40%, though it could increase depending on the weather, river operations engineer Chris Lynch said.

Rainstorms that soaked much of Washington at the start of June did little for the Yakima River basin. “It was disappointing,” Eberhart said. “We really didn’t see much of a response from the rain event.”

District cuts deliveries

The Kittitas district cut back deliveries to 50% in mid-May, anticipating the outlook would worsen. The district will continue delivering the same amount water until the first cuttings of hay and then cut back, Eberhart said.

The district normally operates until Oct. 15, but does not anticipate delivering any water in September or October, he said.

Roza started leasing water last winter. It has depleted its drought-relief fund by spending about $5.5 million, Revell said.

Roza and the Department of Ecology are finalizing a grant that will award the irrigation district about $892,500 to begin rebuilding the fund.

Rainfall at the reclamation bureau’s five reservoirs has been below normal for four straight months. The snowpack still melting into the reservoirs and streams was smaller than average, typical of an El Nino winter.

Ecology declared a drought emergency in April, anticipating water shortages throughout the state. The odds favor a hotter summer than usual, according to the National Weather Service’s Climate Prediction Center.

The U.S. Drought Monitor on Thursday rated 24% of Washington in a “moderate” drought, the least severe of four drought classifications.