A MEASURE OF SNOW: CASE STUDIES ON THE VALUE OF INFORMATION FOR WATER MANAGERS

With 50 to 80 percent of the water supply in the West arriving in the form of snow, data on the snow pack provides critical information to decisionmakers and water managers throughout the West. Using both automated systems and manual data collection, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program collects, processes, and distributes public data on snow, soil moisture content, and water supply. The basic data generated by the Snow Survey and Water Supply Forecasting Program provide essential information to entities, agencies, and organizations that depend on information about water for their core decisionmaking and operations processes. These basic data become even more valuable when used in concert with partner orga­nizations to provide water supply forecasting tailored to meet end-user needs. Recently, a study was done to analyze who uses SS-WSF data, how the data are used, and the value of the data from an economic standpoint. This presentation will summarize and discuss the findings of this study.