Snowpack Looking Good
Sacramento, CA — While there’s still a long ways to go the current snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is promising.
According to Department of Water Resources Information Officer Don Strickland the overall numbers for California indicate that state is at 103 percent of normal. The northern Sierra leads the way at 121 percent of normal, the central Sierra (Mother Lode) is at 87 percent of normal and the southern Sierra measures 106 percent of normal.
The largest reservoir in the state (Shasta) is at 98 percent of normal while Lake Oroville is only at 54 percent of normal.
Today D.W.R. increased anticipated 2010 state water project deliveries to contractors from five to 15 percent of requests. If this amount remains unchanged by the final allocation in late spring this will be the lowest allocation percentage in the project’s history.
There is, however, a 90 percent chance the allocation will improve by late springs. If average precipitation continues, the final allocation will likely be in the range of 35-45 percent of requested amounts.
The historical average of final state water project allocations over the past 10 years has been 68 percent of contractors’ requests.
The bottom line; California still needs an abundance of precipitation as we enter the spring months.
Written by bill.johnson@mlode.com
