Bighorn River Spring Runoff Predicted to Exceed Records

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — A February forecast says spring runoff into the Bighorn River Basin is set to surpass the record-breaking level seen last year.

The forecast predicts the basin will see 77 billion cubic feet of inflow between April and July, slightly over the last year's flow of 72 billion cubic feet.

Montana area manager Steve Davies says the average is about 52 billion cubic feet.

According to Davies, the snowpack in the Bighorn Basin is looking similar to amounts seen last year.

Mahonri Williams with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation says there is still time for more snowpack to accumulate.

Davies says next month's runoff forecast will be more accurate.