House subcommittee hears bipartisan support to reauthorize snow water forecasting program

The House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries heard bipartisan testimony June 26 supporting HR 3857, the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Reauthorization Act, which would extend and fund the Bureau of Reclamation program that helps Western water managers forecast runoff from mountain snowpack.

Supporters said accurate snowpack measurement is essential to operations for reservoirs, irrigation, municipal water systems and ecosystem management. "Approximately 95% of our water supply comes from our snowpack," Candace Hasenjager, director of the Utah Division of Water Resources, told the subcommittee, noting Utah has used airborne snow observatory (ASO) pilots funded through the program.

The nut graf: witnesses described the law's practical uses — improving reservoir operations, reducing uncertainty for water users and integrating emerging tools such as LIDAR, satellite remote sensing and ASO. They said those technologies can produce high‑resolution maps of snow volume and characteristics that complement existing SNOTEL stations.

Representative Michael Hurd (R‑Colo.), sponsor of HR 3857, opened remarks stressing the centrality of mountain snow to Western water systems and the bill's encouragement of new monitoring methods. "We can say goodbye to the days of determining snowpack by hiking a mountain on foot and using a measuring stick," Hurd said, citing LIDAR and satellite imagery as means to build 3D models of snow depth and quality.

Utah's Hasenjager described two ASO pilot projects in the Colorado River and Great Salt Lake basins, saying the surveys extend coverage to low‑elevation and smaller tributary areas that SNOTEL misses. She said the resulting data allows better operational decisions for flood control and storage and helps local managers "fine tune their operations".

Dave Michael, acting deputy director for operations at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, testified in support of the bill’s intent to modernize forecasting tools, and noted federal‑state cooperation on data and guidance. He told the panel the Service and states have worked on guidance and digital data forms to reduce errors and speed reviews when states submit plans related to water and wildlife programs.

Committee members asked how the new tools would change reservoir operations and cited Forecast‑Informed Reservoir Operations (FIRO) as a related approach; witnesses said higher‑resolution snow maps reduce uncertainty in inflow estimates and better inform release decisions. Members from Western states emphasized that improved forecasting can protect water supply for agriculture, municipalities and ecosystems amid drought variability.

Background and next steps: the bill would reauthorize the Bureau of Reclamation Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program to continue pilots and expand use of remote sensing. Witnesses urged continued federal funding and technical partnerships to scale pilots. The subcommittee requested follow‑up information from the witnesses and said it would hold the hearing record open for additional questions.