YAKIMA, Wash. - The Bureau of Reclamation’s July 2019 Total Water Supply Available forecast for the Yakima basin indicates the water supply will fully satisfy senior water rights. Junior water rights will receive an estimated 67% of their entitlements for the period June 3-September 30.
“The basin’s seasonal decline in flows and reservoir storage began about 2-3 weeks earlier than normal this year," said Chuck Garner, Yakima Project River Operations supervisor. “The reservoirs topped out at 81.5% full on June 7." Garner recommends water conservation always be a part of water usage in the Yakima basin, especially this season with the low water supply.
Reclamation manages the water in the five Yakima Project storage reservoirs, along with the basin’s unregulated inflows to fulfill water rights, water contracts and instream flow obligations. Water shortages in the basin are shared equally by the junior water rights, which represent over half of the water rights in the basin.
Reclamation will provide an updated water supply forecast monthly-at least through August-using the latest data each month to reflect any changing conditions as they develop.
The July forecast is based on flows, precipitation, snowpack and reservoir storage through July 1, along with estimates of future precipitation and river flows.
For more information, visit Reclamation’s website at https://www.usbr.gov/pn/hydromet/yakima.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
