You probably don’t realize this, but October 1st is the start of the new water year. And state officials are hoping it will be a lot better than the one that just ended, which was one of the most severe on record. And Ted Thomas, with the Department of Water Resources, says it WAS the warmest ever…
Thomas says that also meant more rapid water evaporation rates. The statewide snowpack on April 1st held only 5-percent of the average water content, beating the previous low by 20-points. Thomas says this drought is also particularly hard-felt because of California’s population is at an all-time high. But a growing El Nino in the Eastern Pacific is increasing optimism about this coming rainy season. However, it’s less certain about Northern California…
Meanwhile, storage at Oroville Dam is at 48-percent of normal and 59-percent at Lake Shasta. Folsom Lake is down to 32-percent.
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