Sierra Snowpack Remains Deep Despite Dry January
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California officials expect to deliver more water to farms and cities than they did last year despite a relatively dry January.The state Department of Water Resources conducted its second Sierra snow survey of the winter Friday, finding the snowpack along the 400-mile-long range remains above average. That is due to a series of storms from October through December.
Water content ranged from 108 percent of normal in the northern Sierra to 176 percent of normal in the southern Sierra, even though January snowfall was just 13 percent of average.
Sierra runoff provides about one-third of the water for California's homes, businesses and farms.
The department projects it will deliver 60 percent of the water requested by its contractors, who serve 25 million Californians and nearly 1 million acres of agricultural land.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
