Snow Water Supply Forecasting Reauthorization Act of 2025

This bill renews and updates the federal Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program to improve how snowpack is measured and modeled, so water supply forecasts are more accurate and timely. It shifts the program to use integrated tools—like airborne laser scanning, imaging spectroscopy, and physics-based models—to better capture snow conditions and feed those results into water forecasts in real time. It also removes a past reporting step so the program can continue without waiting on that report, and it focuses work where the data will directly inform water management decisions, including across state lines.

Funding is set at $6.5 million each year from 2027 through 2031 to support these improvements and help partners build capacity to use the new tools and forecasts.

• Who is affected: Water managers, program partners, and communities in river basins that rely on snow and water supply forecasts.
• What changes: Greater use of integrated measurement and modeling; specific tech like airborne laser altimetry and imaging spectroscopy; real-time integration with water forecasts; capacity-building for partners; removal of a prior report requirement; updated evaluation language for how tools and data are used.
• When: Funding and authorization updates apply to fiscal years 2027–2031.