Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Reauthorization Act of 2025

The Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program Reauthorization Act of 2025 reauthorizes the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program and updates its purpose and operations. The bill shifts the program’s emphasis toward integrating snowpack measurement with modeling and expands the range of technologies the program may use (including imaging spectroscopy, machine learning, and integrated snowpack-hydrologic modeling). It also broadens participation to include the Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. In addition, the bill restructures reporting requirements to focus on basins and technology effectiveness and places greater emphasis on multi-basin and interstate water management. Funding is adjusted downward from the prior authorization but extended through 2031. Overall, the bill aims to improve the accuracy and usefulness of snowpack and water supply forecasts for water managers, reservoirs, and multi-state water decisions. In short, the bill modernizes and extends the program with a stronger emphasis on integrated modeling, cross-agency collaboration, and basin-scale forecasting, while updating the funding level and the program’s deliverables to reflect new technologies and broader water-management needs.