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June 2015 WINES&VINES 17 WINE INDUSTRY NEWS practiced early in the season. "Assuming a typi- cal growing season, there should be adequate water for the wine grapes," Wolfe said. But as with all matters associated with water, it pays to read the fine print. Wine grape producers often farm more than just grapes, meaning some may decide to divert water from a portion of their acreage for vine- yard use; others, with properties enjoying se- nior water rights, may tap those rights to use their entitlement on less entitled properties. The district, as well as individual growers, also has the ability to purchase water from senior rights holders. While transferring rights is seldom a simple matter, especially in drought years, the strategy factored into the Den Hoed family's purchase of an 80-acre property in the upper Columbia River Basin in 2008. However, the system aims to keep overall extractions level—and, in the current environment, conservation-oriented. A reduced snowpack will mean less run-off, and that ultimately impacts aquifers, but sources contacted by Wines & Vines reported wells are in good shape. A sudden rainfall in mid-May delivered 2 inches of rain in some parts of East- ern Washington, too. The recent rain has muted the impact of drought declarations across the Northwest for many growers. "We don't see any significant problems for wine grapegrowers in the Walla Walla Valley," said Duane Wollmuth of the Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance. "Most of our irrigation comes from deep basalt wells, which at this time are in good shape." The drought spreading across Washington and Oregon has yet to reach British Columbia. While the province reported its lowest average snowpack in 31 years, the westernmost province is living up to Canada's moniker of "the Great White North" with an average snowpack the envy of its southern neighbors. While the snow- pack in the province's southwest region is ex- tremely low, with Vancouver Island reporting a snowpack just 14% of normal, the Okanagan snowpack was estimated at 57% on May 1, and the province-wide average was 69%. That hasn't allayed concerns regarding dry conditions, however. As elsewhere in the Northwest, the winter in the Okanagan was the warmest on record, and Kathy Malone of Hillside Cellars Winery in Nara- mata expressed concerns that conditions are dry enough to spark preparations for a potential repeat of the unprecedented wildfires of 2003. "We're already nervous," she said. Growers and winemakers worry that even if the fires don't harm grapes, they could result in smoke-tainted wines if they occur after véraison. The wildfires of 2003 put the issue on the B.C. industry's radar, and growers in California and Washington state dealt with the threat in 2008 and 2012, respectively. With growing degree-days beginning to mount on the heels of an early bud break, managing drought con- ditions may be the key challenge for Northwest growers in 2015. —Peter Mitham Abnormally Dry Moderate Drought Extreme Drought Exceptional Drought All of Oregon and much of Washington state are experiencing low water levels. NATIONAL DROUGHT MITIGATION CENTER