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Forest officials said Wednesday that snowpack measurements taken at Anthony Peak on the Mendocino National Forest at the end of February show that precipitation this winter is slightly above average.
The average snow pack measured at the end of the month was 78.7 inches, with water content measuring 24.9 inches. These measurements are 126 percent of average snow pack and 101 percent of average water content, according to the report.
The historic average for this time of year is 61.8 inches of snow pack and 24.7 inches of water content, forest officials said.
“The snow is extra powdery – we received 35.5 inches of snow since last month but only gained 7.5 inches of water,” said Forest Hydrologist Robin Mowery. “There are still several decent storms predicted this season and the hope is that snowpack will be at least average this year, if not better.”
For reference, 1991 was the record low with 4.1 inches of snow pack, according to forest records. The record high was in 1969 with 148.8 inches of snowpack.
Mendocino National Forest employees Conroy Coleman and Tony Kanownik took the snow measurements this month. They hiked from the junction of Forest Highway 7 and Road M4 to the survey point due to the powder conditions.
Originally established in 1944, the Anthony Peak snow course provides data for precipitation draining into the Grindstone watershed into Stony Creek and the Black Butte Reservoir, ending in the Sacramento River.
Runoff from the Mendocino National Forest is critical in providing surface water and ground water for the surrounding communities.
The state Department of Water Resources reported Wednesday that the snowpack statewide was 128 percent of normal.
The agency's third snow survey of the 2010-11 season, held last week, showed the state's snowpack was well above average. The readings were boosted by recent storms that made up for a dry January and early February.
“We appear to be on a good water supply track as we move toward summer’s peak demand period,” said DWR Director Mark Cowin. “Once again, however, we must emphasize that conservation should always be a priority in California.”
DWR estimated it will be able to deliver 60 percent of requested State Water Project (SWP) water this year. The estimate will be adjusted as hydrologic and regulatory conditions continue to develop.
In 2010, the SWP delivered 50 percent of a requested 4,172,126 acre-feet, up from a record-low initial projection of 5 percent due to lingering effects of the 2007-2009 drought. Deliveries were 60 percent of requests in 2007, 35 percent in 2008, and 40 percent in 2009.
The last 100 percent allocation – difficult to achieve even in wet years due to pumping restrictions to protect threatened and endangered fish – was in 2006, the state reported.
The SWP delivers water to more than 25 million Californians and nearly a million acres of irrigated farmland.
The mountain snowpack provides approximately one-third of the water for California’s households, industry and farms as it slowly melts into streams and reservoirs.
California’s reservoirs are fed both by rain and snowpack runoff and most of the state’s major reservoirs are above normal storage levels for the date.
Snowpack and water content monitoring is an important tool in determining the coming year’s water supply. The data is used by hydrologists, hydroelectric power companies, the recreation industry and other organizations.
More than 50 agencies and utilities, in coordination with the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), visit hundreds of snow measurement courses in California’s mountains as part of the Cooperative Snow Surveys Program.
For more information on California snow surveys, please visit http://cdec.water.ca.gov/snow.
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