Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Reauthorization Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Reauthorization Act of 2025 updates the existing Interior snow-water forecasting program to emphasize integrated snowpack measurement and hydrologic modeling. It adds imaging spectroscopy, machine learning, integrated snowpack and hydrologic modeling, and other technologies that can provide more accurate or timely data for water management and reservoir operations.
Who Benefits and How
Western water districts and reservoir operators benefit from better snow and water-supply forecasts that can inform multi-water-user, multi-basin, and multi-state water decisions. River-basin communities benefit when forecasting improves planning for changing weather and watershed conditions. NOAA and USDA water-data programs benefit from explicit inclusion in snowpack measurement technology work. Technology providers working on imaging spectroscopy, machine learning, and hydrologic modeling may benefit from continued program demand.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Interior snow-forecasting program staff must maintain, establish, expand, or advance integrated measurement and modeling activities and list basins, applications, outcomes, and data resources in program reports. USDA and NOAA staff may have additional coordination burdens because the bill names them in the technology-measurement provisions. Federal taxpayers bear the reauthorized funding, which changes from a $15 million aggregate authorization for 2022 through 2026 to $6.5 million for each fiscal year 2027 through 2031.
Key Provisions
- Replaces a one-time report-oriented framework with an ongoing emphasis on integrated snowpack measurement and hydrologic modeling.
- Adds imaging spectroscopy, machine learning, integrated modeling, and other technologies chosen by the Secretary.
- Refocuses the program on forecasting that supports multi-water-user, multi-basin, and multi-state water decisions.
- Requires program reporting on basins using the technologies, applications, outcomes, data resources, and technologies that best inform water-supply forecasting.
- Authorizes $6.5 million for each fiscal year 2027 through 2031.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Reauthorizes and refocuses the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program on integrated snowpack measurement, hydrologic modeling, and water-supply forecasting technologies for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
Key Policy Areas
Water, Science, Agriculture, Climate
Primary Purpose
Reauthorizes and refocuses the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program on integrated snowpack measurement, hydrologic modeling, and water-supply forecasting technologies for fiscal years 2027 through 2031.
Policy Domains
Integrated snow water supply forecasting
Identified Gains
- Western water districts using snow forecasts
- Reservoir operators using snowpack models
- NOAA water forecasting programs
- USDA snow survey programs
- Hydrologic modeling technology vendors
Identified Costs
- Interior snow-water forecasting program staff
- NOAA snow-data coordination staff
- USDA snow survey coordination staff
- Federal taxpayers funding the reauthorization
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
ReportedCommittee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported …
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water and …
Mr. Hickenlooper (for himself and Mr. Curtis) introduced the following …
Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and …
Introduced in Senate
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Interior snow-water forecasting program staff, NOAA water forecasting programs
Positive-direction: NOAA water forecasting programs
Negative-direction: Interior snow-water forecasting program staff
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "noaa"
- → National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- "secretary"
- → Secretary of the Interior
- "department_of_agriculture"
- → Department of Agriculture
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
A program focus combining snowpack measurement data and hydrologic models to improve snow and water supply forecasts.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology