Bay Area Water Supply Trending Up Due To Plentiful Snowpack: Report

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Following years of severe drought, the California water supply has finally caught a break after an April 1 reading found the Sierra Nevada snowpack was up 83-percent from the month prior, according to The Mercury News and SF Gate reports.

The snowpack, which provides California with almost one-third of its water, was at 96-percent of its historical average on Tuesday thanks to a late-season storm that has blanketed the Sierra with snow. About 6 miles south of Lake Tahoe, another 20 inches of snow fell in 24 hours, it was reported Tuesday.

The April 1 reading is a closely watched indicator for California water reserves yearly, according to SF Gate.

The last two years, the snowpack has reached 100-percent of its average, making this the most bountiful three years in a row in the last 25 years, according to The Mercury News and SF Gate.

California experienced three severe droughts over the past decades: From 2007-2009, 2012-2016, and 2020-2022, according to The Mercury News.

The water supply looks better than it has in years, with the biggest reservoirs statewide averaging 117-percent of their historical amounts. This likely means no water restrictions this summer for the Bay Area according to The Mercury News and SF Gate.

Southern California, which relies heavily on the Colorado River reservoir, is a different story, according to SF Gate. The Mercury News reported that several counties have already issued drought warnings. The Southwest has experienced little snow this winter, according to SF Gate.

Now water managers will focus on the transition from California’s wet period into the runoff season, as snow melts and heads downstream to the reservoirs, according to SF Gate.

Read the full stories at SF Gate and The Mercury News.