California Eagerly Awaits Sierra Snowpack Runoff As It Hopes For More Snow
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — As the Sierra snowpack builds, the state's water supply eagerly awaits the melt and runoff in coming months.
All this snowfall in the Sierra makes sledding fun and easy. the challenge is turning all this fresh powder into a use for the greater good.
"We certainly want to capture as much as we possibly can," said Doug Carlson with the California Department of Water Resources. "You can't dam off every drop of water that comes down the mountainside. That would be counterproductive, but we are going to capture our share of it and use it beneficially."
The snowpack serves as 30 percent of California's water supply. Currently, the northern Sierra snowpack is at 127 percent of normal, while the central Sierra is at 118 percent and the south Sierra is at 99 percent of normal.
"The eyeball test, shows you that this is a much better winter than last year was," he said.
It's a big change from last year. By the last snow surveys, Gov. Jerry Brown was left to stand in a patch with no snow.
Since then, he's pushed and helped pass a massive multibillion-dollar bond to create more water storage projects across the state including possible new underground development, dams, and reservoirs.
A new water commission is holding public hearings on how to spend the money.
