Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Reauthorization Act of 2025

This bill keeps the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program going and updates it to use newer tools. It shifts the program to focus on building and using better ways to measure snow and predict water supply, like imaging from aircraft or satellites, machine learning, and models that link snowpack and river flows. The goal is to give water managers faster, more accurate data to guide reservoir operations and plan for changing weather and watersheds . It also encourages work in river basins where many communities or even multiple states rely on the same water, and it strengthens partners’ ability to use these new tools .

The bill updates coordination with agencies like the Department of Agriculture and NOAA, streamlines prior reporting requirements, and requires tracking which basins are using the new tech and what results they’re getting. It authorizes $6.5 million each year from 2027 through 2031 to run the program and expand these forecasting efforts .

• Who is affected: western water managers, farmers, cities, tribes, and communities that depend on snow-fed rivers and reservoirs .
• What changes: more emphasis on integrated snow measurement and modeling; use of imaging spectroscopy, machine learning, and linked snow–hydrology models; stronger multi-basin, multi-state applications; clearer reporting on where and how these tools are used .
• When: program funding and activities are extended for 2027–2031, with ongoing focus and reporting requirements during those years .