Record Snowmelt Fills Reservoirs
Written by Andrew-Rossi on June 14, 2018
Record amounts of snowmelt runoff are filling local reservoirs.
The inflow to the Buffalo Bill Reservoir is higher than it has ever been. The Bureau of Reclamation reports that snowmelt runoff coming in from the North and South Forks of the Shoshone River to the Reservoir in April and May was recorded at 277 percent of the 30 year average – that’s a record volume for that time period historically. The forecast through July has increased to 1.25 million acre feet, which would be 177 percent of the 30 year average.
Reclamation’s forecast for the April through July inflow to Yellowtail Reservoir has been increased to over 2.1 million acre feet, which would be 187 percent of the 30 year average. About a million acre feet of that forecast volume was accumulated in April and May, which is 231 percent of the April-May average, and the second highest volume ever recorded during that time-frame for the reservoir.
Farther south, the April through July inflow to Boysen Reservoir forecast has been increased to 950,000 acre feet, which would be 164 percent of the 30 year average. But again, the spring runoff came in at 242% of the April-May average, which is the second highest volume recorded during that time-frame for the reservoir.
