Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Final Snow Survey Shows Dry Winter

Today’s news release by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) for the final 2012 snow survey confirmed that the State suffered a dry winter. Snowpack water content is only 40 percent of normal for this time of year, which in turn will result in below-normal snowpack runoff. Mark Cowin, Director of DWR, acknowledged that reservoir storage from the preceding wet year “will mitigate the impact of dry conditions on water supply this summer” but warned that the State must “plan for the possibility of a consecutive dry year in 2013 . . .”

DWR expects to deliver 60 percent of the approximately 4 million acre-feet of State Water Project (SWP) water requested by SWP contractors this year. According to today’s news release, this is “not an unusually low delivery projection, or allocation” and is largely attributable to last year’s unusually wet winter and resulting reservoir storage.

For more information regarding this matter, please contact Elizabeth Leeper or the KMTG attorney with whom you normally consult.

Related Stories:
California Department of Water Resources Increases State Water Project Allocation to 60 Percent
Bureau of Reclamation Announces Updated CVP Water Allocations
DWR Survey Shows State Snowpack Levels at 37%

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