Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hydrologic Conditions topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
State board hears hydrologic conditions update: mixed snowpack, river flows and Colorado River negotiations
Summary
Staff briefed the board on statewide precipitation, snowpack and reservoir status, North Coast Scott and Shasta river flows, and Colorado River negotiations. The update noted better-than-average northern precipitation, Scott River decline from April to May, and progress and uncertainty in post-2026 Colorado River guidelines.
SACRAMENTO — The State Water Resources Control Board received a hydrologic conditions briefing May 6 that combined statewide precipitation and snowpack numbers, region-specific flow outlooks for the Scott and Shasta rivers, and an update from the Colorado River Board on basin negotiation dynamics ahead of the 2026 guideline update.
Statewide snapshot: Staff reported precipitation near 111% of average in the Northern Sierra, lower totals in the southern Sierra and Tulare region (about 50% of normal for southern snow water), and statewide snow water at roughly 67% of normal as of May 3. Major reservoirs were reported at or above average for the date.
Scott and Shasta rivers: For the Shasta River, flows on May 5 measured about 232 cubic feet per second (CFS) at a long-running gauge; the board recalled a May–Sept flow requirement of 50 CFS at the Yreka gauge. The Scott River showed a May 1 snowpack decline to 85% of average, with historical analog years indicating flows often drop below the flow requirement in mid-July for similar snowpacks. Staff warned curtailment triggers will depend on evolving observed flows and that timing remains uncertain.
Colorado River update: Jessica Newworth, representing the Colorado River Board of California, briefed the board on basin negotiations over post-2026 operations. The basin faces a long-running deficit between Colorado River compact allocations and observed hydrology; Lower Basin proposals and Upper Basin proposals differ on burden sharing. California has tentatively offered a 440,000-acre-foot reduction figure in some proposals, and federal Reclamation is preparing a draft environmental impact statement for post-2026 guidelines; the basin states are working toward a consensus alternative that could be analyzed in that EIS.
Board response: Board members flagged the need to track downstream impacts of potential shortages on ecosystems such as the Salton Sea and requested that basin negotiations consider mitigation funding for affected areas. Staff said they will continue routine hydrologic briefings and coordinate with regional boards on localized impacts and curtailment planning.
Ending: The briefing emphasized variability across the state — wetter north, drier south — and highlighted uncertainties tied to snowmelt timing and reservoir operations as the state moves into summer.
