© 2024 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Idaho Drought Expands, Owyhee County And Coeur d'Alene Basin Are Concerns

Aidan Wakely-Mulroney
/
Flickr Creative Commons

According to a United States Drought Monitor report, all of Idaho is now in a drought or heading into a drought.

The Idaho Statesman reports that the new statistics are in stark contrast to May 2014, when the drought monitoring website reported only 52 percent of the state was under some sort of drought condition.

U.S. Geological Survey spokesman Tim Merrick says most of Owyhee County is experiencing extreme drought and the Coeur d'Alene basin is at historic lows.

USGS Idaho Water Science Center data chief David Evetts says Idaho isn't in the same shape as California, but unless precipitation picks up this year, Idaho could be in a crisis in 2016.

The last time Idaho had such widespread drought conditions was 2005.

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.