So far, things are looking good for Northern California heading into what is, on average, the busiest part of the rainy and snowy season. On Monday morning, many places in the region are reporting above-average rainfall totals since the start of the year of water on October 1. Downtown Sacramento has recorded nearly 4 inches since the last sighting on Sunday. Much of this precipitation has occurred over the past two days. In the Sierra, the average water content of the snowpack is also above average. The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab site in Soda Springs has recorded more than 96 inches of snow so far this season. That’s more than 250% of the average for the date. That’s a promising sign, given that about a third of California’s annual water supply comes from snowpack runoff. The more water that can be drawn from the snowpack, the less is drawn from the groundwater supply of the reservoir. It is important to note that a quick start to a hydrological year does not guarantee a good year for the water supply as a whole. Let’s take the 2021-22 season as the perfect example. After a major storm in October and a very busy December, precipitation and snowfall measurements were well above average heading into the New Year. By early April, the snowpack had almost completely shrunk, leaving nothing to draw on for much of the spring. As of Monday afternoon, water levels in the main reservoirs in northern California were between 20 and 30 percent of full capacity, ranging from 45 to 65 percent of the date’s average. Water managers say surface reservoirs are not a good indicator of drought status at the moment because they are designed to be kept at low levels in late fall and early of winter. “We’re now in flood control mode,” says Jeanine Jones, the interstate resource manager for the Department of Water Resources, “so we’re not allowed to keep our reservoirs this full at this time of year. , which makes the numbers a bit better.” Flood control releases are not currently planned but may be required if the weather model remains active in the coming weeks. In the meantime, smaller releases are made regularly from Folsom, Oroville and other major reservoirs to meet other needs throughout the year. These requirements include maintaining water quality for the delta region. and Bay Area as well as wildlife flow requirements. Jones says water levels may gradually rise through the winter and spring as the risk of a major storm decreases. , there’s a snowpack in the mountains and we’re starting to store that runoff because that’s what provides water to towns and farms during the summer,” Jones said. , Jones says groundwater supply is a much better indicator. Historically, these groundwater supplies have been heavily overexploited, but water managers are working to improve water use strategies to avoid more in the future through projects such as the Regional Bank Sacramento groundwater. In short, the 2022-2023 rainy season is over. promising start, but real relief from the drought will take several years of consistently wet and snowy winters.
So far, things are looking good for Northern California heading into what is, on average, the busiest part of the rainy and snowy season.
On Monday morning, many places in the region are reporting above-average rainfall totals since the start of the year of water on October 1. Downtown Sacramento has recorded nearly 4 inches since the last sighting on Sunday.
Much of this precipitation has fallen in recent days.
In the Sierra, the average water content of the snowpack is also above average. The UC Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab site in Soda Springs has recorded more than 96 inches of snow so far this season. That’s more than 250% of the date average.
That’s a promising sign, given that about a third of California’s annual water supply comes from snowpack runoff. The more water that can be drawn from the snowpack, the less is drawn from the groundwater supply of the reservoir.
It is important to note that a quick start to a hydrological year does not guarantee a good year for the water supply as a whole. Let’s take the 2021-22 season as the perfect example. After a major storm in October and a very busy December, precipitation and snowfall measurements were well above average heading into the New Year. By early April, the snowpack had almost completely shrunk, leaving nothing to draw on for much of the spring.
As of Monday afternoon, water levels in the main reservoirs in northern California were between 20 and 30 percent of full capacity, ranging from 45 to 65 percent of the date’s average.
Water managers say surface reservoirs are not a good indicator of drought status at the moment because they are designed to be kept at low levels in late fall and early of winter.
“We’re in flood control mode now,” says Jeanine Jones, interstate resources manager for the Department of Water Resources, “so we’re not allowed to keep our reservoirs this full at this time of year. , which makes the numbers actually look a bit better.
Flood control releases are not currently planned but may be required if the weather model remains active in the coming weeks.
In the meantime, smaller releases are made regularly from Folsom, Oroville and other major reservoirs to meet other needs throughout the year. These requirements include maintaining water quality for the Delta region and the Bay area as well as flow requirements for wildlife.
Jones says water levels may gradually rise through the winter and spring as the risk of a major storm decreases.
“Then hopefully there’s snow in the mountains and we start storing that runoff because that’s what provides water for towns and farms during the summer,” Jones said.
While many tend to focus on reservoir levels as a way to gauge drought status, Jones says groundwater supply is a much better indicator.
“There’s actually a lot more water stored in California’s groundwater basins than there is in California’s reservoirs,” Jones said.
Historically, these groundwater supplies have been heavily overexploited, but water managers are working to improve water use strategies to prevent this from happening again in the future through projects such as the Sacramento Regional Groundwater Bank.
In short, the 2022-2023 rainy season is off to a promising start, but real drought relief will take several years of consistently wet and snowy winters.
#Rain #returned #NorCal #dont #expect #reservoirs #fill #anytime