Friant Water Authority

Friant Water Authority Is Proposing an Expanded Application of Established Airborne Snow Observatory Technologies in the Upper San Joaquin River Basin to Supplement and Refine Sensitive Water Year Type Management of Snow Supplies. Airborne Snow Observatory Data Will Be Shared and Applied to Water Supply Forecasting Tools Managed by the California Department of Water Resources, the California Nevada River Forecast Center, the United States Bureau of Reclamation, and Other Agencies and Organizations That Support Research and the Development of Forecasting Tools for the San Joaquin River Basin and the Western United States. Federal Funding Will Supplement Planned Californias Department of Water Resources Programming Through Department of Water Resources Division of Flood Management and the California Cooperative Snow Surveys Program. Proposed Activities Focus on Additional Airborne Snow Observatory Flights to Target Critical Management Periods Depending on Year Type, Additional In-situ Snow Courses to Aid in Data Validation, the Development of a Historical Retrospective of Isnobal Modeling in the San Joaquin Basin, and the Development of a Tool Which Will Estimate Elevation-banded Snow-water Equivalent in Bulk and in an Elevation Banded Format From Snow Pillows. the Project Spans Three Fiscal Years (november 2024 to September 2027). Project Activities Will Take Place the Upper San Joaquin River Basin Which Span Approximately 1,458 Square Miles, Multiple California Counties, and Includes Approximately 25 Field Sites.