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March 27, 2026
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
Over 34 years of representing our 9th District in legislative sessions at the Capitol, I’ve driven I-90 over Snoqualmie Pass a few times each winter and early spring, either en route to Olympia or back home to Ritzville.
During these trips over the Cascades, I notice how much snow is in the mountains and on the ski slopes at the pass. Many winters have brought plenty of snow, which is good news not only for skiers and other winter sports lovers, but really good news for the fruit growers and farmers in eastern Washington who rely on irrigation water that originates from the reservoirs in the Cascades.
Of course, some winters don’t produce that much snow, unfortunately. Over the past few years, the snowpack in the Cascade and other mountain ranges in Washington has been lower than normal, which has been a key reason why our state has experienced a drought.
In a Seattle Times story published this week, a deputy state climatologist said Washington currently has a median snowpack that is 54% of normal. Unless the Cascades, the Blue Mountains in southeast Washington and the mountains in northeast Washington all experience a large and lengthy dumping of snow in the next few weeks (which is pretty unlikely to happen), our state will face its fourth straight year of drought.
 An irrigation canal in central Washington.
This should be a concern for people all across Washington, especially those in the agriculture industry. The greater likelihood of drought in our state is a key reason why I’ve worked hard in my role as the Senate Republican leader on the capital budget to provide more funding to improve and modernize our state’s water-infrastructure system.
Partnering with Senator Yasmin Trudeau, who is in charge of the Senate capital budget, we focused on upgrading irrigation canals and other water-infrastructure systems so we can reduce water loss from the mountains down to fields and orchards. If Washington is going to face more years of drought, we have to take serious steps to improve our water-infrastructure system and ensure that we don’t waste this crucial resource.
The supplemental capital budget passed by the Legislature earlier this month provides solid funding for water-infrastructure projects on both sides of the state. It includes $12.177 million for several water-conservation projects across Washington plus another $7.948 million for many local water-infrastructure projects, including one in Othello.
While we can’t control how much snow or rain falls on our mountains or other parts of our state, we have some measure of control over conserving the water that does come to us through weather. The capital budget is proof.
Meetings and events this week
- On Tuesday, I drove to Spokane Valley to speak at the Eastern Washington Road Show, hosted by the Washington Self-Storage Association.
- On Wednesday, I took part in a Zoom meeting with the Department of Ecology’s Larry Mattson, who is the director of DOE’s Office of Columbia River, which oversees regional work protecting water supplies in the Columbia Basin.
Let me know if you need help or have an idea
If you wish to discuss an issue or concern with me, or if you need help with a problem involving state government, please reach out to me by email at mark.schoesler@leg.wa.gov or give my legislative office a call at 360-786-7620. I'd like to hear from you!
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I welcome your comments about anything in this newsletter and questions about what I’m doing on your behalf in the state Senate. Please call, email or write using the contact information at the end of this report.
Click here to visit my legislative webpage!
Legislative Email: Mark.Schoesler@leg.wa.gov
Legislative Phone: (360) 786-7620
Toll-Free: 1 (800) 562-6000
Olympia Address:
417 Legislative Building
P.O. Box 40409
Olympia WA 98504-0409
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