Earlier today, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced that senior and junior water right holders in the Yakima Basin will receive 100% of their normal October water supply. This means that there will be no broad restrictions on senior or junior surface water use in the Yakima Basin this October. 

However, the region is still facing ongoing challenges from a fourth straight year of drought, including restrictions in some tributaries due to low flows.

Comparing 2025 and 2026

Last October, unprecedented drought conditions led to restrictions on all surface water use across the entire basin. Water in the reservoirs ran out, and precipitation and flows from the Yakima River were not enough to satisfy even senior water rights.

In comparison, this spring we entered the irrigation season with less snowpack than normal but full reservoirs and wet soil from heavy December rains. 

Going into summer, the basin experienced above-average temperatures but no prolonged heatwaves. We saw precipitation at just the right time in August and September to help irrigators, though overall demand is lower due to many farmers fallowing their land.

Water right restrictions updated online

Though we are in a much better position than this time last year, the Yakima Basin is still in a multi-year drought. Restrictions remain in place for some critical tributaries.

If you have a surface water right, visit our Yakima Basin water supply webpage for the most up-to-date information on current restrictions. You can also enter your address, water right number, or parcel on our interactive map to quickly find out if your water right is affected.

When you can use water depends on your water right priority date, which is the date when your water right was established.

While we don’t expect that new restrictions will be required, if there are any major changes to October water supply, we will update our website and communicate directly with affected water right holders.

What else you can do

As drought persists in the basin, you can take steps this year and in future years to help both instream and out-of-stream users.

If you have a water right and don’t plan to use it, get in touch with us to find out how you can protect it. In some cases, you can get paid for voluntarily not using water during drought.

If your water comes from a city and you’re interested in how conservation can help your community, contact your water supplier to find out how they are saving water and participating in basin-wide water solutions.

Workers in sectors affected by drought can also take the anonymous PNW Water Year Impacts Survey. Your answers will help inform future drought response efforts.

What this means for the future

Last year’s historically low storage and streamflows underscored the importance of building long-term solutions that prepare communities for future droughts. Research estimates that by the 2050s, Washington will see snow droughts seven out of every 10 years, on average. This means an increase in warmer winters, leading to reduced snowpack and lower streamflows when we need them most from spring to early fall.

The Yakima Basin is in a unique position to meet these challenges. It has infrastructure that other watersheds do not – its five reservoirs – and investments in water supply projects and collaboration through the Yakima Basin Integrated Plan.

We’ll keep working with Integrated Plan partners to understand how different parts of the basin are adapting to water shortages. As it did this year, that continued coordination will help address immediate needs through this drought while protecting water supplies well into the coming years. 

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