Runoff into Boysen down 44 percent

Current projections have snowmelt runoff in the Bighorn River Basin significantly lower than their 30-year average.

In particular, Boysen Reservoir is projected to have significantly less runoff during the upcoming Spring and Summer months.

This year Boysen is expected to get an inflow of 300,000 acre-feet of snowmelt runoff from April through July.

An acre-foot is approximately 325,851 gallons of water.

This amount of runoff is down 44 percent from previous years. The runoff average over the past 30 years has been 533,800 acre-feet. So the reservoir will see only 56 percent of its average inflow.

What this means is that Boysen Reservoir’s volume of water will start to decrease as the summer wears on.

However, Office of Recreation area manager Mahonri Williams said even though the inflow will be less than usual, water from the reservoir will be dispersed at the same rate as in previous years because Boysen still has a sufficient amount of water.

“For all the irrigators downstream of Boysen, we’re expecting an adequate amount of flow,” Williams said.

A major part of the inflow decrease this year was the weather Wyoming saw during March.

“March was mild and relatively dry,” Williams said.

Williams also explained that the estimated inflow numbers could change, but not significantly.

Because of all this, he said there is not a high chance that Boysen dam will have to adjust its schedule.

“We do not expect we will have very high releases,” Williams said.

If the inflow is at the same low rate next year there could be a problem for irrigators downstream of Boysen Reservoir.

As weather can be unpredictable, only time can really tell what next year will bring.

Williams said another determining factor could be how hot and dry the summer will be.

“It depends on what nature gives us,” Williams said.