Water Report
Current Water Conditions in Ashland
March 2026
A Record Low Month for Rain
Precipitation Report
Ashland just experienced March precipitation that earned 5th place in the length of the record for the month of March with the least precipitation. We received .54 inches of rain while the norm is 2.03 inches. Since 2000 there has only been one year that was drier, the second driest year in the entire length of the record, 2013, when only .29 inches of rain fell. The driest year was 1965 when only .13 inches of precipitation occurred in Ashland. In contrast, the wettest year on record was 1957 when 5.35 inches of precipitation fell.
Reservoir Readout
As of the end of March, Reeder Reservoir is 88.5% full while Emigrant and Hyatt Lakes were 68% and 56% full, respectively.
For up-to-date information, visit the US Bureau of Reclamation’s website. Then click on a teacup and then the link for Water Year Graph.
The State of Drought
As of the end of March, the southern two-third of Jackson County was considered “abnormally dry,” while northern Jackson County has moved into moderate drought.
Source: U.S. Drought Monitor
Snowpack Report
The National Resource Conservation Service monitors snowpack in stream basins through its SNOTEL (Snow Telemetry) program. The SNOTEL network is composed of over 900 data sites located in remote, high-elevation mountain watersheds. They monitor snowpack, precipitation, temperature, and other climatic conditions. The data collected at SNOTEL sites are transmitted to a central database, called the Water and Climate Information System, where they are used to make water supply forecasts.
Unfortunately, most of Oregon has less than 20% of normal snowpack, with only 13% in our area.
Water Year Report
The water year is defined by the U.S. Geological Survey as the 12-month period beginning October 1, for any given year through September 30, of the following year.
“Water conservation can have double benefits in the face of a changing climate: it can help the community be more prepared for drought, and also reduce stress to aquatic ecosystems and thereby enhance the resiliency of those ecosystems to a variety of climate and non-climate stressors.”
— Ashland Climate & Energy Action Plan
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