ECHO SUMMIT, Calif. — A nearly average spring snowpack in the Sierra Nevada will probably prolong tough water conservation measures in drought-stricken California — although the restrictions could be loosened in some areas after an El Niño storm system drenched the northern half of the state this winter, officials said Wednesday.
“The message is still very strong: Conservation measures are still going to be important,” Frank Gehrke, chief of the California Cooperative Snow Survey Program, said after he trudged through the snow to manually measure the snowpack at nearly 95 percent of normal.
A year ago, Gov. Jerry Brown stood on the same spot — then a dusty patch of ground with no snow — to announce that the dire drought required residents to cut back water use by 25 percent. Californians are now under orders to use at least 20 percent less water.
Northern California has seen the most rain and snow this winter, lifting its three largest reservoirs to above-normal levels. Southern California, meanwhile, saw relatively little precipitation.
The Associated Press
