Amador County – The California Department of Water Resources last week announced that water content in California’s mountain snowpack is 165 percent of the April 1 full season average.

“Recent storms have significantly contributed to the above-average snowpack, helping to stabilize California’s water supply for the year,” said DWR Director Mark Cowin. “While this is beneficial for California’s farms, businesses and communities, we remind residents to practice sensible water use and conservation as we transition to warmer weather.”

The snowpack readings prompted Gov. Jerry Brown to officially rescind emergency proclamations and executive orders issued in 2008 and 2009 relating to water shortage associated with the drought.

Snowpack water content is measured both manually on, or near, the first of the month from January to May, and in real-time by electronic sensors. Water Resources Department Information Officer Ted Thomas said the latest surveys and readings, released March 30, are the “most important of the year, because April 1 is the date when the state’s snowpack normally is at its peak before it melts into streams and reservoirs in the spring and summer months.”

Thomas said “March precipitation has helped register 2011 among the top years in snowpack water content, despite dry weather conditions in January and early February.” The mountain snowpack provides approximately one-third of the water for California’s households, industry and farms as it melts into streams and reservoirs.

Manual readings off Highway 50 near Echo Summit showed snow was 153 inches deep at Lyons Creek, with 56 percent “water content,” at 180 percent of the long-term average for April 1. The reading was at the 6,700-foot elevation.

Electronic readings indicated that water content in the northern mountains is 174 percent of the April 1 seasonal average. At Central Sierra it was at 163 percent, and Southern Sierra it was 158 percent. Statewide, the average is 165 percent. The locations already had more than 100 percent of the average snowfall by the March 1 readings.

The National Weather Service last week issued a Hydrologic Outlook, saying the “highest risk for potential spring flooding is on the San Joaqin River and tributaries.” Current area lake levels were already above average for this time of year, and “in anticipation of snowmelt runoff,” the reservoirs were already making “elevated releases.”

The outlook said “this snow will melt into a large volume of water that will have to pass through area reservoirs and rivers before moving through the Delta.”

Peak reservoir inflows normally occur in mid- to late-May.

Flooding risk is lower for the Sacramento River and its tributaries because the region has larger capacities in both the river channels and reservoirs.

Story by Jim Reece This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.