News Release Archive

Reclamation announces Yakima basin water supply – April forecast

Media Contact: Annette Ross, (208) 378-5322, aross@usbr.gov

For Release: April 06, 2020

YAKIMA, Wash. – The Bureau of Reclamation’s April 2020 Total Water Supply Available forecast for the Yakima basin indicates the water supply will fully satisfy senior water rights, while the junior water rights will be limited to an estimated 96% of their full entitlements this irrigation season.

“March precipitation, at 42% of normal, fell far short of expectations. Snowpack, as percent of average, has declined about 5% since March 1. The five reservoirs are just over 62% full and filled about as expected in March,” said Chuck Garner, Yakima Project River Operations supervisor. “The Yakima basin reservoir storage is currently 102% of average, and the snowpack is 95% of average.”

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.

Specific water-delivery levels, such as water rights allocations and streamflow targets, will be set normally in June, when the Yakima system requires reservoir storage releases to meet irrigation diversions and river flows. Reclamation will provide an updated water supply forecast and water allocation monthly—at least through July—using the latest data each month to reflect any changing conditions as they develop.

The April 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 streamflows, prorations and the extent to which the reservoirs fill.

“We still have several key months ahead of us that can have a big influence on the ultimate water supply this summer,” says Garner.

For more information, visit Reclamation’s website at https://www.usbr.gov/pn/hydromet/yakima.

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The Bureau of Reclamation is a federal agency under the U.S. Department of the Interior and is the nation's largest wholesale water supplier and second largest producer of hydroelectric power. Our facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation opportunities, and environmental benefits. Visit our website at https://www.usbr.gov and follow us on Twitter @USBR; Facebook @bureau.of.reclamation; LinkedIn @Bureau of Reclamation; Instagram @bureau_of_reclamation; and YouTube @reclamation.