May 14, 2020 3:40 a.m.
As drought continues to spread across southern Oregon, Douglas County Commissioners declared a drought order on Wednesday.
Public Works Director Scott Adams presented and received approval for the emergency  order.
Douglas County is the fourth county to declare a drought order this year. Governor Kate Brown has already declared State of Drought Emergencies in Jackson and Curry County. Coos County has a pending request in front of the Governor.
Once the order is officially recorded, the Board of Commissioners will send the drought order to the Governor. The order cited below average precipitation, lack of snow pack, low stream flows, higher than normal temperatures, agricultural, livestock and forest economic hardships, and the potential for serious injury and losses, resulting from extreme weather conditions in the county, as the basis for the request.
The release said:
*As of May 4th, Oregon Water Resources Department water conditions reports state the Umpqua Basin stream flows are 67 percent of average.
*According to the most recent Natural Resources Conservation Service reports, part of southwestern Oregon, including the Umpqua Basin snow water equivalent remains well below normal. As of May 1st, snow pack was 43 percent of normal, which is significantly lower that the prior month when the snowpack was 75 percent of normal. That report said April precipitation was 41 percent of average and since last October has been 65 percent of average.
*As of April 28th, the U.S. Drought Monitor for Oregon shows the majority of Douglas County being in “severe drought”. The most recent three-month outlook by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center indicates, “an increased probability of above-normal temperatures along with below normal precipitation”. Data showed this could dramatically increase wild land fire danger.
The release said although the drought declaration has not resulted in any residential use restrictions, it’s a reminder that water conservation is always a good idea and that fire danger is likely to be high in many parts of the county this summer.
A drought declaration from the Governor, will allow increased flexibility in how water is managed to ensure that limited supplies are used as efficiently as possible. It will also authorize state agencies to expedite water management tools to users that would not otherwise have access, according to the release.