Full water supply forecast for Yakima Basin, KID

A full water supply for the coming irrigation season is forecast for those holding both junior and senior water rights for the Yakima Basin, according to the Bureau of Reclamation.

“We are currently expecting the water supply to be near normal,” Chuck Garner, supervisor of the Yakima Project River Operations, said in a statement Monday.

“The reservoirs have been filling nicely throughout the winter and are above normal right now.”

The snowpack also is near normal for early March, he said.

The Kennewick Irrigation District is anticipating a full water allotment for the 2016 water season, KID announced following the release of the Bureau of Reclamation March report.

It does not anticipate the need for restrictions or enforcement of watering schedules, after a drought in 2015 required those actions.

The information released by the Bureau of Reclamation is an early estimate and conditions and water available can change throughout the season, KID cautioned.

Because the region receives an average of just 7 inches of precipitation per year “wise water use is always encouraged,” it said.

It recommends a watering schedule for lawns of less frequent irrigation but watering for longer to encourage roots to grow deep. Deep roots will leave a lawn better prepared for the next drought.

KID members also can consider installing high efficiency devices, planting vegetation with low-water requirements and decreasing lawn area.

This story was originally published March 7, 2016 at 12:58 PM with the headline "Full water supply forecast for Yakima Basin, KID."