With water year 2019 officially coming to an end yesterday, many farmers and ranchers are looking ahead with hope for another wet year. The latest storage summary from the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) demonstrated strong numbers as the new water year begins. As of last week, all but three reservoirs listed were operating at or above the historical average for this time of year. The three that were below the average were still above 90 percent.
Water year 2019 was strengthened by a significant amount of snowfall. DWR noted the snowpack as being more than 200 percent of normal back in June, making it the fifth largest in the state in more than 50 years. The substantial snowpack provided for steady runoff into the summer; however all that snowmelt did not provide full water supplies for all water users. South-of-Delta ag contractors were only allocated 75 percent of water supplies.
Listen to the report below.
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