LAKE COUNTY – Local and state water conditions appear to be slightly below average, but have nonetheless remained stable in recent weeks, following late winter rains.
As spring arrives this weekend, Clear Lake's level has continued to rise, measuring 4.13 feet on the Rumsey gauge on Friday. Rumsey is a specific measurement for Clear Lake. Zero Rumsey is 1318.256 feet; all lake measurements are based on that number.
Comparatively, on March 20, 2008, Clear Lake's level was 7.09 feet Rumsey, according to Lake County Water Resources Division records.
Area creeks are running, although US Geological Survey stream gauges show creek discharges levels have backed down from the higher levels that followed rains earlier this month.
A snowpack measurement issued by the Mendocino National Forest on Friday shows that winter precipitation in the forest is below average.
The monthly measurements, taken at Anthony Peak at the end of February by forest employees Tony Kanownik and Marcus Spivey, showed the snowpack was 56.1 inches, which equates to 90 percent of average, with a water content measuring 18.1 inches, or 73.8 percent of average water content.
Officials reported that historic average for this time of year is 61.8 inches of snow pack and 24.7 inches of water content.
“Since January’s measurements there has been an increase from the 20th percentile to the 40th percentile, meaning that 40 percent of the 60 years measured had worse snow conditions at this time of year,” said Forest Hydrologist Robin Mowery in a written statement. “So far, this year mimics the 1955, 1944 and 1945 water years. More recently, 1979 and 1980 were an inch above the current water year. This year is also close to the 2007 water year.”
Forest officials said that, for reference, 1991 was the record low with 6.6 inches of snow pack. The record high was in 1969 with 148.8 inches of snow pack.
The snowpack in the forest primarily affects the Grindstone watershed, which drains into Stony Creek and the Black Butte Reservoir, ending in the Sacramento River. It also impacts, to some degree, Lake Pillsbury and Lake Mendocino, according to Tom Smythe, a water resources engineer with Lake County's Water Resources Division.
The state Department of Water Resources reported on Friday that the statewide snowpack is at 84 percent of normal.
The agency had reported earlier in the week that the State Water Project allocation remains critically low despite late winter storms – which occurred between Feb. 12 and March 5 – that boosted rainfall and increased the snowpack.
“However, one wet month can not overcome back to back dry years in 2007 and 2008, so we are still in a drought,” said state Senior Meteorologist Elissa Lynn.
Major reservoirs and runoff projections remain well below average, and precipitation was only enough to allow a 5 percent increase from the initial allocation of 15 percent in December 2008. Allocations also are limited due to court rulings to protect fish such as the delta smelt.
State Water Project contractors deliver water to more than 25 million California residents and more than 750,000 acres of farmland.
Much of that water comes through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, into which Clear Lake drains by way of Cache Creek and the Yolo Bypass.
On Feb. 27, Gov. Schwarzenegger proclaimed a state of emergency and ordered a range of actions to manage the drought crisis, the Department of Water Resources reported. The governor urged Californians to prepare for worsening drought and requested that all urban users reduce their water use by 20 percent.
Here in Lake County, the Board of Supervisors last month approved seeking voluntary conservation from users in county-run sewer and water districts due to concerns about supply, as Lake County News has reported.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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