With recent rain and snowpack, Bay Area water officials see light at the end of drought tunnel
BERKELEY -- Researchers say the wet weather this winter, including last week's rare snowstorm, is an encouraging sign that the state may finally be emerging from years of drought. But they caution that it would be premature to declare the drought over just yet.
"The April 1st measurement is the most important because that's when the snowpack is traditionally at its deepest," said Andrew Schwartz, a researcher with the University of California, Berkeley's Central Sierra Snow Laboratory.
Schwartz says the state monitors the condition of the snowpack throughout the winter, but the results of the April snow survey are critically important as the snowpack functions as a critical reserve of water for the state.
The ideal scenario is for the snowpack to melt slowly throughout the spring and early summer, replenishing the state's water supply during the dry months.
"We want this snowpack to stay cold and to not melt for as long as possible," said Schwartz. "Because if it melts early, it's possible that we might do water releases out of the dams to make sure we're still safe if we get flooding."
The risk, Schwartz says, is that warm, dry weather could cause the snowpack to melt and erase many of the gains we've had this winter.
"This is terrific. We want winters like this. And it's reason to celebrate. But we still need the storm window to stay open. We need cooler temperatures otherwise we might just be right back in short and long-term drought next season," he said.
Hundreds of miles from the snow of the Sierra, water district officials in Santa Clara County say they're cautiously optimistic because many of the district's reservoirs are filling with rain and runoff from recent storms.
"So we have to wait until April before we really start evaluating what our water supply outlook looks like for the next year," said spokesperson Matt Keller.
Keller also stressed the importance of maintaining water conservation efforts during both wet and dry years.