2021 becoming a ‘critically dry’ year
After its third snow survey of the year conducted on Tuesday, the State Department of Water Resources stated California has realized its fifth straight month of the year water year.
“As California closes out the fifth consecutive dry month of our water year, absent a series of strong storms in March or April we are going to end with a critically dry year on the heels of last year’s dry conditions,” said State Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth. “With back-to-back dry years, water efficiency and drought preparedness are more important than ever for communities, agriculture and the environment.”
The Department of Water Resources conducted the third manual snow survey of the season at Phillips Station in the Lake Tahoe area. The manual survey recorded 56 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 21 inches, which is 86 percent of average for the location. The SWE measures the amount of water contained in the snowpack and is a key component of DWR’S water supply forecast.
Dry conditions require coordination among state, federal and local entities to meet water needs, the DWR stated. “State water leaders are preparing to address the current dry conditions adaptively, guided by lessons learned during previous droughts,” DWR added.
With below-average precipitation across the state, California’s reservoirs are showing the impacts of a second consecutive dry year. Lake Oroville is currently at 55 percent of average and Lake Shasta, California’s largest reservoir, is currently at 68 percent of average for this date.
Statewide snow survey measurements continue to reflect the overall dry conditions. Measurements from DWR’S electronic snow survey stations indicate that statewide snowpack of 15 inches, or 61 percent of the March 2 average, and 54 percent of the April 1 average. April 1 is typically when California’s snowpack is the deepest.
Locally in the Central Sierra Region, the snowpack was 17.7 inches which is 61 percent of the April 1 average and 69 percent of the average for March 2.
The State Water project initially allocated 10 percent of what’s requested, which amounts to 422,848 acre-feet of water to 29 water uses that serve 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland.
Last year the initial allocation was also 10 percent, with a final allocation of 20 percent in May 2020.
Locally in the Friant Division, the federal Central Valley Project announced an initial water allocation for the region of 20 percent of the first 800,000 acre-feet of available water, which is Class 1. That translates to 160,000 acre feet. For class 2 — up to 1.4 million acre feet — the CVP announced a zero percent allocation.
Officials state they expect water needs will continue to be met through federal, state and local sources. But dry conditions is obviously making that more difficult.
Precipitation in the form of rain – and snowfall at higher elevations – is critical because it refills reservoirs and provides snowpack that eventually turns into spring runoff and also reduces the risk of wildfires.
DWR also stated Californians should look at ways to reduce water use at home. “Each individual act of increasing water efficiency can make a difference,” DWR stated. Ways to save water every day are available at Saveourwater.com