Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada should be at its peak this time of year. But the water content for the snow is just 32-percent of average. Frank Gehrke with the California Department of Water Resources says the recent snow can be deceptive.
“It’s very unlikely that we’ll get anything after this. It’s certainly not the improvement that would have been needed to get anywhere close to reasonable conditions for water supply next spring and summer,” says Gehrke.
Snowmelt is carried through rivers and reservoirs and delivered south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta through the state and federal water projects. DWR Director Mark Cowin says recent precipitation hasn’t ended the drought. But it will provide some temporary relief. He says the department will quadruple the amount of water it pumps south for at least a week.
“The adjustment will remain in effect as long as the rivers carrying storm water into the Delta continue to run relatively high," says Cowin.
Kate Poole, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council, says the move violates the agencies’ obligation to protect threatened and endangered fish. She says there are reasons pumping levels should be low this time of year.
“By ignoring those requirements and ramping up pumping right now what the agencies are doing is pulling those salmon and steelhead off their migratory path and into the pumps where they die,” says Poole.
The National Marine Fisheries Service says the change will still protect migrating steelhead and other fish. It says the adjustments are based on sound science.
![In 2021, California saw everything from intense drought to torrential rain. Researchers and water agencies say that the future of the state’s drought depends on adapting to these shifts. Andrew Nixon / CapRadio; Associated Press, file](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/12262257/012622climatewhiplash-p.png)
January 28, 2022Last year, California saw everything from intense drought to torrential rain. Researchers and water agencies say that the future of the state’s drought depends on adapting to these shifts.
![Snow geese fly over the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge complex in Willows on Oct. 6, 2021. Photo by Nina Riggio for CalMatters](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/12261318/110221-birds-drought-nr-cm-517-p.jpg)
November 11, 2021As the drought dries up California’s wetlands, traveling birds such as ducks, geese and eagles are struggling to survive and breed. “This drought is bad. The odds are against us,” a state expert said.
![In this Sept. 23, 2013 file photo, water flows through fish diversion louvres at the John E. Skinner Delta Fish Protective Facility from the Clifton Court Forebay on its way to the Harvey O. Banks pumping plant, near Tracy, Calif. AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, file](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/12257099/021221_california-water-drought-p.jpg)
June 23, 2021Drought resilience depends on location but also extraordinary engineering — determining which California places are running out of water this year and which remain in good shape.
![Boaters fish on the Sacramento River outside of Isleton. Water supplies from the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta are insufficient, so the state has warned thousands of users to halt pumping. Photo by Anne Wernikoff, CalMatters](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/12259071/061521_sanjoaquinsacramentoriverdelta_aw_sized_01_061721-p.jpg)
June 17, 2021About 4,300 users were issued notices to halt diversions from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
![Kayakers make a long trek to the water's edge at a drought-stricken Lake Mendocino, currently at 29% of normal capacity, in Ukiah, Calif., Sunday, May 23, 2021. California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a drought emergency for most of the state. Josh Edelson / AP Photo](/cdn-cgi/image/format=auto,width=186,height=140,fit=crop/media/12258863/060521_droughtkayakersweb-p.jpg)
June 5, 2021Experts say the current drought is hotter and drier than previous ones, meaning water is evaporating faster.
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