Reclamation: Water Demands Will Not Be Met This Season

The Bureau of Reclamation is out with its first water supply forecast for the Yakima Basin, and things aren’t looking good.

The March forecast indicates the water supply will not fully meet irrigation demands this season.  The early estimate of the total water supply available April through September indicates senior water rights will receive 100% full entitlements, while junior water rights will receive only 44% of their full entitlements. 

Reservoirs Look Good For This Time Of Year

When it comes to the five reservoirs, Reclamation says storage was 76% full, with 806,000 acre-feet, as of March 1st, which is 128% of average for this time of year.  Unfortunately, the region only saw 51% of its normal precipitation in the month of February.  And on top of that, the amount of water in the snowpack, known as snow water equivalent, was 33% of average. 

Reclamation noted the forecast is based on flows, precipitation, snowpack, and reservoir storage as of March 1, 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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