IDAHO CITY, Idaho — Spring has sprung in Idaho, but a late-season snowstorm recently added to the already above-average snowpack, which, after being measured Tuesday, is offering a promising outlook for water levels in Idaho this summer.
"So we have about 90 inches of snow, a little bit taller than I can reach, and we [have] about 36 inches of water content in the snowpack," said Water Supply Specialist Erin Whorton, with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Whorton is measuring the local snowpack at Mores Creek Summit — weighing her samples to figure out approximately how much water it actually holds.
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"Snowpack is different all across the West," explained Whorton. "Twenty feet of snow in the Pacific Northwest is not 20 feet of snow in Utah, where it's light and fluffy."
Longtime Idahoans know that the mountain snowpacks are the lifeblood of water in the West and serve as a key component of the state's farming industry. Whorton says 85 percent of Idaho's surface water from snowpack ends up watering farms.
"So it's key for agriculture in Idaho to know what the snowpack is doing," she added. But it's not just farmers keeping an eye on conditions.
"Idaho is the whitewater state, so how much water is in the mountains directly influences what the whitewater season is going to be like," Whorton said.
Over the next few months, snow near Idaho City will melt and make its way down the mountain into the reservoirs and finally into the Boise River.
"Everything is well above average, which is great for the valley," said Boise River Water Master Daniel Hoke.
Hoke says how quickly the melt happens will impact irrigation strategies come summertime.
"So the longer and slower this melts off, the more water we [will] have available throughout the system," said Hoke. Tuesday's data points to a healthy snowpack — about 125 percent of average.
"We have plenty of water this year for irrigation, plenty of water for recreation," Whorton said.
