Water Supply Plentiful
Written by Andrew-Rossi on January 24, 2018
It comes as no surprise to anyone who experienced last winter’s heavy snow, but the experts say there’s plenty of water in the mountains to supply the Big Horn Basin this year.
The Bureau of Reclamation’s January forecast of the April through July runoff shows that the Bighorn River inflow to Bighorn Lake from April through July is forecast to be 143 percent of the 30 year average. And inflow to Buffalo Bill Reservoir is forecast to be 135 percent of average.
According to the National Weather Service, precipitation in the state last month was also above average, adding up to between 110 to 120 percent of the median amounts over the last few decades. Their information shows that precipitation over the Shoshone and Clarks Fork River drainages were at 175 percent of normal in December.
And their experts agree that above normal snowmelt streamflow volumes are expected across several major basins in Wyoming, adding that Wyoming reservoir storages are currently sitting at 115 to 125 percent of average for January.
