YAKIMA, Wash. - The Bureau of Reclamation’s July 2017 Total Water Supply Available (TWSA) forecast for the Yakima Basin indicates the water supply will fully satisfy senior and junior water rights this irrigation season.
“The snowpack has served us well, and the reservoir system is ready to supply the summer demands," said Chuck Garner, Yakima Project River Operations supervisor.
Reclamation will provide water supply forecasts monthly through July. Specific water delivery levels are determined after reservoir storage begins to decline, and the Yakima Basin is on storage control.
This forecast is based on flows, precipitation, snowpack, and reservoir storage as of July 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 streamflows, prorations, and the amount of water remaining in the reservoirs at the end of the season.
“Natural flows have dropped off and will be in a general decline until this fall. The reservoir system was 99 percent full on July 1 and is ready to get us through the hotter part of the summer," according to Garner.
If precipitation and runoff are unfavorable, Reclamation still expects an adequate supply. Because longer term weather conditions can be unpredictable, Garner recommends water conservation always be considered by users in the Yakima Basin.
For more information, visit Reclamation’s website at http://www.usbr.gov/pn/hydromet/yakima.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
