After one of the driest Februaries in history, late winter storms in March increased the Sierra Nevada snowpack significantly. But the storms were not enough to put the state on track for an average year. According to the latest monthly survey, conducted yesterday, the Northern Sierra snowpack is still at only 43-percent of normal. But that is up 13 points from a month ago, according to Doug Carlson, with the Department of Water Resources…

click to listen to Doug Carlson

Elsewhere, things look better. The snowpack was at 60-percent of average in the Central Sierra and 50-percent in the Southern range. Meanwhile, the State Water Resources Control Board may decide this month to adopt regulations that would allow fines of up to 500-dollars for seven wasteful water practices. Carlson says overall water storage at the 154 reservoirs the DWR tracks is still at 107-percent of normal, thanks to last winter’s abundant snowpack. But storms have been warmer in recent years…

click to listen to Doug Carlson

Locally, the Nevada Irrigation District’s snowpack is a healthier 65-percent of average.