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California’s snowpack is healthy, but our water system needs some help

Gov. Gavin Newsom stands in the snow with water officials measuring snowpack.
From left, Gov. Gavin Newsom watches Angelique Fabbiani-Leon, State Hydrometeorologist, Water Resources Engineers Anthony Burdock and Andy Rising,during the final Sierra Nevada snow survey of the 2024 season at Phillips Station on April 2.
(Andrew Nixon / California Department of Water Resources)
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Good morning. It’s Wednesday, April 3. Here’s what you need to know to start your day.

California’s snowpack is healthy, but our water system needs some help

It’s that exciting time of year when state water officials make their way to Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada and stick a pole in the snow.

Tuesday marked the final snow survey of the season, which recorded more than 5 feet of snow at the annual measuring spot. The physical gauge is just one part of the intricate system used to calculate how much snow accumulates in the Sierra Nevada each year. More frozen water now means more melted water makes its way to major downstream reservoirs, key supplies to get through the dry months ahead.

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So how’s it looking up there? The snowpack reached 110% of average for April 1. Currently, California’s major reservoirs are at 116% of average levels overall. Those levels are set to increase as more snow melts this spring and summer.

California is wrapping up its second consecutive strong wet season. Last April 1, the snowpack measured 237% of the historical average. And despite a drier start to this winter that brought fears of a “snow drought,” the series of storms that doused much of the state in February and March quelled worries among state officials.

“You can take a deep breath this year, but don’t quadruple the amount of time in your shower,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said during a media briefing at Phillips Station.

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But a strong snowpack doesn’t provide a complete picture of the state of water in the Golden State, as Times reporter Ian James noted:

“Even with its reservoirs at healthy levels, California faces complex water management problems, such as struggling fish populations and the depletion of groundwater in many farming areas. Chronic shortages of water from the Colorado River, a key source for Southern California, are also forcing water managers to make plans for scaling back water use.”

Newsom’s tone Tuesday was less celebratory and more cautionary as he made it clear that the state needed to bolster efforts to modernize its water system, which he said “was designed for a world that no longer exists.” As climate change drives more extreme weather conditions — meaning a worsening whipsaw of droughts and flooding — how will the state protect and improve vital water supplies?

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A recent report from the Pacific Institute found that California lets nearly 2.3 million acre-feet of stormwater wash out to sea each year. That works out to hundreds of billions of gallons.

State officials hope to reduce those losses, releasing the latest update to the California Water Plan, in which they explain their intent to focus “on the innovation and investments in California’s watersheds, water systems, and communities needed for a resilient and equitable future.”

On Tuesday, Newsom pointed to renewed efforts to capture more stormwater, recharge depleted groundwater and invest in major infrastructure projects. That includes the Sites Reservoir, as well as the proposed Delta Conveyance Project, which aims to transport water beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta via a 45-mile tunnel.

State officials say the $16-billion water tunnel would help capture more winter water that currently ends up in the ocean. But the project is proving to be an uphill (or upstream) battle. The plan is being fought in court by environmental groups, tribal leaders and fishing advocates, who argue the tunnel project would harm the delta’s already jeopardized ecosystem.

Wonder how strong or scarce the Sierra Nevada’s snowpack has been over time? Check out this graphic from Times data journalist Sean Greene, visualizing two decades of snowpack.

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And finally ... a great photo

Show us your favorite place in California! We’re running low on submissions. Send us photos that scream California and we may feature them in an edition of Essential California.

Paradise Cove Beach in Malibu.
(Guillermo Mara )

Today’s great photo is from Guillermo Mara of Los Angeles: Paradise Cove Beach. Mara writes:

Most of the year, my wife and I live in Uruguay. Los Angeles is our favorite place in the U.S., and we stay there for about two months every year. It is a tradition for us to visit Paradise Cove every year on our last day in Los Angeles. It is our special place to take a good sip of the Los Angeles atmosphere to keep in our hearts until our next visit.

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Have a great day, from the Essential California team

Ryan Fonseca, reporter
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
Stephanie Chavez, deputy metro editor

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