Rep. Jeff Hurd’s Snowpack Water Supply Forecasting Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3857) has passed the House of Representatives, marking the second bill by Hurd to advance through the chamber. The legislation received bipartisan support.
The bill reauthorizes and updates the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Program. It aims to incorporate modern technologies such as LiDAR and satellite imagery to improve snowpack and water-supply predictions. These updates are significant for Colorado’s Third District, where accurate forecasting is essential for sectors like agriculture, recreation, and municipal water systems that depend on snowpack for irrigation planning, drought management, and annual water allocation.
The legislation supports advanced tools that can create three-dimensional models of snowpack conditions. This capability is expected to help water managers better anticipate spring runoff and make informed decisions about water storage and distribution.
“We cannot manage what we cannot measure. Water is life in the West, and accurate data is how we manage it,” said Rep. Hurd. “Families, ranchers, and water managers across CO-03 make critical decisions every day based on snowpack forecasts—decisions that affect their livelihoods and our communities. This bill gives them better tools and more reliable information to plan with. I’m grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle for supporting this commonsense legislation.”
House Committee on Natural Resources Chairman Bruce Westerman commented: “Mountain snowpack is a vital source of freshwater that many states across America rely upon. H.R. 3857 will increase the accuracy of snowpack measurements and allow the usage of emerging technologies,” he said. “I commend Rep. Hurd for his commitment to ensure that America has accurate information on freshwater sources.”
Congressman Neguse also voiced his support: “Today’s passage of the Snow Water Supply Forecasting Reauthorization Act is a crucial step to improve forecasting and available data for snowpack and water supply monitoring,” he said. “I’m proud to join Rep. Hurd on this bill to ensure that our communities here in Colorado have the data and resources they need to thrive.”
With House approval secured, the bill will proceed to consideration in the Senate.