The Washington Department of Ecology declared a drought emergency Monday in 12 watersheds around the state, making public agencies in those areas eligible to apply for grants to fund drought-relief projects.

Ecology Director Laura Watson signed the drought declaration with Gov. Jay Inslee’s approval. Ecology will start taking applications for grants on Tuesday.

Ecology has $3 million to give to public entities to help fish and wildlife survive and to increase water supplies for farms, livestock and cities. Eligible agencies include conservation and irrigation districts.

No project will receive more than $750,000 according to Ecology’s rules. Recipients much match the state grant. Small cities with a high-percentage of low-income residents can apply to have the match waived.

Drought conditions developed over the past few months. May and June was the fourth-warmest and 11th-driest such two-month period on record for the state. Records date back to 1895.

The state declares drought in watersheds expected to have 75% or less of normal water supplies and to have hardships as a result.

Some irrigators have been curtailed or cut off from their water source entirely. Yakima River basin irrigators with junior water-rights have been cut back to 72% of their normal water supplies.

Counties impacted by drought are Clallam and Jefferson counties on the Olympic Peninsula; Skagit, Snohomish and Whatcom counties in northwest Washington;

Okanogan County in north-central Washington; Benton, Kittitas and Yakima counties in south-central Washington; and Columbia and Walla Walla counties in southeast Washington.

The watersheds named in the declaration are Nooksack, Lower Skagit, Upper Skagit, Dungeness-Elwha, Lyre-Hoko, Sol-Duc-Hoh, Walla Walla, Lower Yakima, Naches, Upper Yakima, Methow and Okanogan.

Ecology last declared drought in 2021. The declaration that year excluded Seattle, Tacoma and Everett.