Oregon Public Broadcasting

A sparse snowpack means the Bonneville Power Administration is projecting a $6 million loss this year.

El Niño conditions mean weather forecasters are only expecting about 70 percent of the usual snowpack.

When that snow melts, it fills rivers and reservoirs, that in turn are tapped for hydro-elecric power.

BPA spokeswoman, Katie Pruder-Scruggs, says there could still be a "Miracle March" snow-dump, but they're preparing people for a dry year.

Katie Pruder-Scruggs: "We're not expecting the lights to go out or our rates to suddenly jump because of this. But we are very concerned about the low water year and this is basically a heads-up to the region."

She says the BPA has enough water to sell to its publicly-owned utilities, but it doesn't expect to have very much to sell on the open markets.

That means it won't have as much money as usual to cover costs, which in turn could translate into higher electricity rates.