Drought in the Snake River Headwaters Watershed
Local Water Rights
In 1949, the State of Wyoming signed the Snake River Compact in which the waters of the Snake River were allocated for storage in reservoirs— including Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park — for direct diversion for irrigation as follows:
- To Idaho: 96%
- To Wyoming: 4%
To this day, the water rights to the Jackson Lake Dam remain attached to farmlands in Idaho.
Historically Low Water Levels
From 2019 to 2021, the entire Snake River Basin experienced drought, and Jackson Lake had historically low water levels. Nearly all of the reserve water stored in the lake was released into the Snake River to meet the downstream irrigation needs in Idaho.
Climate Change
High-elevation snowpack has historically released water into our watershed slowly as it melts through spring and early summer. But, water moves quickly through our rocky soils. Even if we have increased spring rainfall, decreased snow levels, and earlier snowmelt, means much of it will leave our watershed more quickly.
