YAKIMA, Wash. - The Bureau of Reclamation's April 2021 total water supply available forecast for the Yakima basin indicates the water supply will satisfy all senior and junior water rights this irrigation season.
"The water supply outlook is very good right now," said Chuck Garner, Yakima Project River Operations supervisor. "Even though the mountains received below normal precipitation in March, the snowpack held up well. Snowpack is well above normal and the reservoirs have near normal storage."
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 July-using the latest data each month to reflect any changing conditions as they develop.
The April water supply forecast is based on flows, precipitation, snowpack, and reservoir storage as of April 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, pro-ration rates and the extent to which the reservoirs fill.
"The conditions should lead to full reservoirs and good flow conditions this spring and summer. However, we still have several key months ahead of us that can have a big influence on the actual stream flows and water supply this summer," said Garner.
For more information, visit Reclamation’s website at https://www.usbr.gov/pn/hydromet/yakima.
Source: Bureau of Reclamation
