The Kings River snow survey revealed lower water supplies for the April 1 peak than last year.
The Kings River Water Association announced Wednesday that the snowpack in the Kings River’s watershed is at 79% of average for April 1, the date California’s snowpack is typically at its greatest.
The big picture: This year, the snow survey revealed that the average snow depth is 60 inches, down from 70 inches in an average winter.
- Despite the below average outlook, recent storms over the past month boosted conditions. The snow survey found 21.8 inches of snow water content, up by nearly six inches from the reading in early March. It’s still around two to three inches of less water content than last year’s measurements.
What they’re saying: Kings River Water Association Watermaster Steve Haugen said this year has been decent and not a bad year.
- “Above normal precipitation and snowpack in February and March changed the water supply for the year,” Haugen said.
- Haugen added that snowpack data collected during the winter and spring months is vital to downstream water agencies and users throughout Fresno, Tulare and Kings counties.
- He also called for the state and federal governments to keep funding programs such as the Airborne Snow Observatory (ASO) flights to help collect data. The ASO flight last week found that the Kings watershed has over one million acre-feet of snowpack water.
- “Funding these programs is crucial for all of California,” Haugen said. “Future funding for these measurements is at risk given state budget shortfalls.”
- California Department of Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth said, “It’s great news that our state’s snowpack has recovered from several weeks of extremely dry conditions in the heart of our winter storm season. However, it’s not a wet year across the entire Sierra Nevada. The north has great snowpack, but snowpack is less than average in the central and southern part of the mountain range.”
