For immediate release

A tale of three snowpacks: Stream flows will depend on location, water expert says

SPOKANE, Wash. (April 10, 2009) – It’s been a yo-yo of a water year. Depending on the month, Washington’s snowpack has been up, down and in-between.

But at the most critical milepost for determining spring and summer stream flows – the April 1 Basin Outlook Report – USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service reports that Washington’s statewide snowpack is now back to normal.

“Near-record snowfall in the mountains of Washington, coupled with cooler than average temperatures during March, brought many areas of the state back into the average snowpack column,” said Scott Pattee, water supply specialist with the NRCS. “Statewide, when you average all of the basins together, we’re now at 99 percent of normal.”

However, in keeping with the erratic nature of the water year, Pattee said snowpack conditions differ dramatically from basin to basin. Consequently, forecasts for stream flows vary from a robust 125 percent of average for the Cedar and Rex rivers to a meager 59 percent of average for the Okanogan River.

“Looking across the state, it’s really a ‘Tale of Three Snowpacks,’” Pattee said. “As a result, April through September stream flow forecasts are generally above average in the west, below average in the central, and average in the eastern part of the state,” he said.

Stream flow forecasts for some of the major basins include…

· West: Cedar River near Cedar Falls – 125 percent; White River ­– 107 percent; and Skagit River – 80 percent.

· Central: Yakima River near Parker – 88 percent: Wenatchee River at Plain – 79 percent.

· East: Spokane River near Post Falls – 100 percent.

“The repeated ebb and flow of this year’s snowpack conditions have kept us all wondering if we’d end the year above average, below average, or average. As it turns out we got all three, Pattee said. “In the end, what kind of stream flows the snowpack will produce will depend on three factors – location, location, location.”

 

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