Sierra Snowpack Water Level 100% Of Average After Wet January

PHILLIPS, CA -- A soggy start of the new year has churned out an average water content in the Sierra snowpack, the California Department of Water Resources reported Thursday.

It may not sound like much to be average, but it’s a welcome sign for water officials and stakeholders when comparing it to other historical measurements.

The state water agency conducted its second 2019 Phillips Station manual snow survey at the road leading into the Sierra-at-Tahoe ski area, recording 50 inches of snow depth and water level of 18 inches. The one measurement amounts to 98 percent of average for this location.

Statewide, the Sierra snowpack is 100 percent of average, water resources officials added.

The state has been plagued by dry years including last year's lackluster season and four years of drought two years before that in which for one of them former California Gov. Jerry Brown stood in the grass to announce water restrictions. California's questionable readings are as unpredictable as Mother Nature and her apparent climate swings. A few years ago, the state experienced an epic rainy winter.

And more is yet to come, with a few winter storms in the forecast this weekend.

This year, three quarters of the East and Midwest are blanketed with bone-chilling cold. The West has seen a topsy turvy ride of sunny warm days wedged between blustery blizzard conditions.

In contrast to 2019's second reading, 2018's measurements taken on Feb. 1 here revealed a water level of 2.6 inches -- only 14 percent of an early February average.

Last month, DWR came up with 9 inches of water content in 25.5 inches of snow depth. The open field represents one in more than 260 snow courses where water officials and engineers measure the snowpack.

“The snowpack across California is on par with the historical average for this time of year, thanks in no small part to an atmospheric river that brought heavy snowstorms to the Sierra Nevada. Typically, California relies on a handful of large storms like we saw earlier this year," DWR Director Karla Nemeth said. “It’s a start, but the next two or three months will determine what it means for our reservoirs and overall water supply.”

Results from snow surveys like the one conducted about 20 miles west of South Lake Tahoe are critical to the management of California’s water. More than 50 local, state, and federal agencies work together as part of the Cooperative Snow Surveys Program to collect data from more than 300 snow courses throughout California.

“The data we collect allows us to forecast how much snowmelt will run off into our streams and reservoirs,” DWR's Hydrology and Flood Office Chief John Paasch said. “Snowpack is an important factor in determining how (the water agency) manages California’s water resources each year to sustainably meet demands.”

For the most part, the Sierra snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California’s water needs for the summer and fall, when it melts in the spring.

Over half the allocations from the Sierra snowmelt is responsible for the Santa Clara Valley Water District's supply.

“It’s encouraging to see a trend toward an average snowpack, particularly with more snow on the way. Yet, we’ll need more snow over the next couple of months to end the winter with an average year. California’s snowpack has a direct effect on our water supply outlook here in the Bay Area,” Santa Clara Valley Water District Board Chairwoman Linda J. LeZotte said.

The deluge from an unprecedented winter two years ago has allowed the district to catch up "to pre-drought levels," district spokesman Marty Grimes told Patch about a month ago.

The Sierra Nevada snowmelt ends up in the San Luis Reservoir off Highway 152, where the Pacheco Pump Station cranks it out to the South Bay through treatment plants. The water district has remained vigilant on replenishing its ground water supply and consistently asking water customers to conserve at least 20 percent of their use because of the uncertainty.

The water resources agency has conducted manual snow surveys at Phillips Station since 1964, recording both depth and snow water equivalent. The latter is the depth of water that theoretically would result in the entire snowpack melting instantly. The measurement allows for a more accurate forecast of spring runoff.

DWR conducts five snow surveys each winter dating around the first of January, February, March, April and May. The Phillips snow course is one of hundreds that will be surveyed manually throughout the winter. Manual measurements augment the electronic readings from about 100 snow auditors in the Sierra Nevada that provide a current snapshot of the water content in the snowpack.

--Image courtesy of California Department of Water Resources