California finished its “miracle” water year on Saturday with enough rain and snow to fill reservoirs to 128% of their historical average, making it one of the wettest years in state history.
On January 9, 2023, in Nicasio, California, an aerial image shows water flowing down the spillway of Nicasio Reservoir after many days of rain have brought the reservoir to within a few feet of its maximum capacity. (Photo source: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
A Decade of Drought, Gets Enough Water Supply This Year
That’s good news for a state that’s been in a serious drought for a decade, requiring policymakers to decide how to share and manage its water supply. Early 2023 winter storms ended the state’s drought. State officials reported 33.56 inches (85.2 cm) of rain through September. California’s “water year” begins on October 1 including the fall and winter months when it gets the most rain and snow. Wet months replenish reservoirs that give drinking, farming, and environmental water supply to the state.
A severe drought lowered those reservoirs to dangerous levels in recent years. That restricted home and business water supply use and farmer deliveries. It jeopardized endangered fish like salmon that need chilly river water supply to survive. Statewide reservoirs held 27.4 million acre-feet of water in September. Two families of four may live for a year on one-acre foot of water. The State Water Project, a network of 30 reservoirs and storage facilities that supplies 27 million people with water, has 4.5 million acre-feet. “This was as close to a miracle year as you can get,” said California Department of Water Resources head Karla Nemeth.
Nine winter storms in California helped the reservoirs. Storms with that much rain and snow were called “atmospheric rivers.” Multiple deaths were reported from state-wide floods. The storms deposited lots of snow on the mountains. The state snowpack was 237% above average on April 1. Michael Anderson, the state’s climatologist, said it’s the fourth time since 1950 that the snowpack topped 200% of average.
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This Year Taken the Most Increase in Water in Reservoir
In spring and summer, all that snow melted, flooding rivers and reservoirs. From December 1, 2022, through the end of the snowfall, Lake Oroville climbed 240 feet (73 meters). The reservoir’s storage increased the most in one season since 1968, according to State Water Project assistant director Ted Craddock. State and federal officials must drain reservoirs to make place for projected water supply this year. The state’s rainy season may be affected by El Nino, the Pacific Ocean’s natural, temporary warming. Global weather patterns are affected by El Nino. El Nino years bring more rain and snow to California. According to the NOAA, this year’s El Nino has a 56% chance of being strong and 25% of being supersized.
The possibility of stronger storms this year, especially along the coast, “keeps me awake a little bit at night,” said Gary Lippner, California Department of Water Resources deputy director for flood management and dam safety. All the rain and snow this year may have contributed to a reduced wildfire season. Very dry conditions caused wildfires to grow throughout the drought. California has burned approximately 476 square miles (1,234 square kilometers) this year. So far below the five-year average of 2,031 square miles (5,260 square kilometers), according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
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