Skagit County water outlook complicated, challenging

Although these days some area fields are muddy with standing water in furrows, Skagit County remains in drought conditions. Future water supply is a critical question. Nick Bond, the state climatologist, visited Skagit County last Wednesday to speak on “Water Supplies in NW Washington State in Future Decades.” Compared with many places, Skagit’s outlook is not dire, yet emerging trends demand attention and adaptive measures.

Bond’s key points included likely wetter winters and drier summers, issues stemming from timing for supplying water to agriculture, and slow and then faster warming trends...