The Sierra snowpack has shrunk to normal levels
after a series of big winter storms in January and early February were followed
by a relative dry spell. While storms have tapered off in recent weeks, the state Department of Water Resources
says the amount of snow remaining should be enough to fill the reservoirs that
feed the state's water system. The snowpack was less than half its normal
depth at the same time last year. That sparse winter snowfall left Northern
California reservoirs depleted to between 40 percent and 60 percent of their
capacity.
The additional
snow this winter will not be enough to significantly increase water shipments
to farmers and cities. The snowpack measurements taken Wednesday showed
a decline from just a month ago. It's not likely to increase through the rest
of spring, said Rudy Cruz, a National Weather Service specialist in Reno, Nevada.
He said no significant storms are on the horizon. While the region may see
light rain or snow in the next few weeks, most of the heavy weather is passing
to the north. The state will provide about 35 percent of the water requested,
the result of a federal court ruling last year. The judge in that case said more water must remain in the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to save fish. Pumping through the delta, the heart
of California's water-delivery system, has been cut by more than half to
protect the tiny delta smelt fish.