NEWS

U.S. Department of Agriculture
Natural Resources Conservation Service
9173 W. Barnes Dr., Suite B
Boise, Idaho 83709

For more information:
Ron Abramovich 378-5741

FEBRUARY PRECIPITATION A MIXED BLESSING

BOISE, ID—Idaho precipitation levels vary from half of average in northern Idaho to above average across parts of the Snake River Valley according to the Idaho Water Supply Outlook Report issued this week by the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

February mountain precipitation was only half of average in the Panhandle Region and Clearwater basin, decreasing the Dworshak Reservoir inflow forecast from 113 percent to 100 percent. Precipitation was 120 percent of average in the mountains south of the Snake River and 107 percent in the Wood and Lost basins. Other mountainous areas received 75-85 percent of average precipitation.

“There’s only another month of winter left,” says Ron Abramovich, NRCS water supply specialist in Boise. “We still need above average precipitation in the higher elevations to provide melt water for Idaho’s rivers and help ease drought impacts.”

Reservoir storage remains low in central, eastern and southern Idaho while reservoirs in western and northern Idaho are reporting near average storage levels. Streamflow forecasts call for 90-105 percent of average runoff volumes for most basins. The Owyhee basin boasts the highest streamflow forecasts at 125 percent while the Bear River basin is experiencing a 70-year low at 12 percent of average.  

“Irrigation supplies for Bear Lake water users may run out by mid-July,” Abramovich says. “In contrast, most of Idaho’s basins will probably experience irrigation supplies better than the last few years.”

The report predicts an improved whitewater boating season. The Owyhee basin sits at two-to-three times its March 1 average while the Bruneau River basin is 127 percent, the Middle Fork Salmon and main Salmon 94 percent, and the Lochsa and Selway Rivers 90 percent. These flows are the best since 2000 and offer ample water for boating this year, depending on timing and magnitude of snowmelt.

For more information on snowpacks and streamflow forecasts for specific regions, visit www.id.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/.

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