Phillips Reservoir on April 11, 2025. (Jayson Jacoby/Baker City Herald)

Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, responding to a recent request from the Baker County Board of Commissioners, has declared a drought in Baker County and asked state agencies to help local officials deal with the situation.

Commissioners voted 3-0 on June 18 to ask the governor to declare a local drought disaster after the county endured the driest spring since at least World War II.

The governor’s executive order allows the Oregon Water Resources Department to authorize emergency measures, if needed, including temporary permits for landowners to use groundwater to alleviate the drought.

Rainfall at the Baker City Airport from March 1 through May 31 totaled 1.24 inches. That’s the lowest amount for that three-month period since at least 1944, the first year for which records are available from the airport.

The average rainfall for that period is 3 inches.

June was also much drier than usual, with a total of 0.37 of an inch, compared with an average of 1.23 inches.

Most of Baker County has been in moderate drought for the past few weeks, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. A small area in the north-central part of the county is in severe drought as of July 11. There are four drought levels: moderate, severe, extreme and exceptional.