Major drought in Idaho could last years, water manager says

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Idaho is facing unprecedented drought despite getting normal snow levels last winter, and water managers warn the state could be entering a dry spell that may last for years. The Idaho Press reports that a Idaho Department of Water Resources hydrologist recently wrote in a water analysis that the state could be seeing several years of limited water supply. That’s unless Idaho gets a snowpack this winter that is significantly higher than normal. Last year’s snowpack was good, leading few to expect the drought. But Idaho had a very dry spring followed by the hottest June and July on record in many regions. That meant reservoirs were quickly depleted.