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Final Survey Reveals Calif. Snowpack 17 Percent Of Normal

ECHO SUMMIT, Calif. (AP/CBS13) — California's last snow survey of the season is bad news for the millions of state residents who rely on the snowpack for their water.

The state Department of Water Resources found the water content in the snowpack on Thursday was 17 percent of normal, an ominous situation for a state that depends on a steady stream of snowmelt to replenish reservoirs throughout the summer.

In some places, there was no snow at all.

After a record dry January and February in many parts of the state, officials are projecting they will deliver just 35 percent of the water that has been requested from the 29 agencies that rely on the snowmelt, which supplies more than 25 million Californians.

The snowmelt normally provides about a third of the water for California homes and farms.

However, this year has been one of the driest rainy seasons on record in some parts of California.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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