Water Availability In Yakima Valley Unchanged From April

The Bureau of Reclamation said Thursday the amount of water available for central Washington irrigators did not change month over month. Reclamation's May Total Water Supply forecast for the Yakima basin indicates senior water rights will receive 100% full entitlements, while junior water rights will receive 52% of their entitlements; unchanged from April’s forecast.

According to Reclamation, storage in the Yakima basin reservoirs, as of May 1st, was 96% full with 1,022,395 acre-feet, which is 129% of average.

Unfortunately, precipitation in the month of April was 61% of average. When it comes to the current water year, which started in October, the region is 118% of average. And to start the month, the amount of water in the snowpack, known as snow water equivalent, was 35% of average.

Reclamation said their May forecast is based on flows, precipitation, snowpack, and reservoir storage as of May 1st, along with estimates of future precipitation and river flows. Other future weather conditions that determine the timing of the runoff and the demand for water also are critical in determining stream flows, the extent to which the reservoirs fill, and the water supply for irrigation.

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