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State Water Board staff: snowpack below northern norms, reservoir storage above average; water-rights reporting misses persist
Summary
State Water Board staff reported mixed hydrologic conditions on March 4: northern Sierra snowpack was near or above normal, while central and southern Sierra snowpack lagged; reservoir storage was generally at or above average.
State Water Board staff provided a routine update on March 4 showing geographically mixed precipitation and snowpack and a notable shortfall in water-rights annual reporting for 2024.
Lede: Staff said statewide precipitation had improved after storms in February but remained uneven across California. The Sierra Nevada snowpack was reported at about 101% of normal in the northern Sierra, about 78% of normal in the central Sierra and about 70% in the southern Sierra, giving a statewide snowpack index of roughly 82% of the April 1 average.
Nut graf: Reservoir storage remained stronger than the snowpack numbers suggested: staff reported most major reservoirs were at or above average and statewide reservoir storage was about 120% of average. At the same time, a substantial share of water-rights holders had not filed required annual reports: 54% submitted on time, 8% filed within the 30-day grace period, and roughly 37% remained outstanding. Staff said late fees will start applying to post-1914 water-rights holders who do not comply.
Details: On river flows, emergency minimum flow curtailments previously adopted for the Scott and Shasta Rivers remained suspended because actual flows were above the emergency thresholds (Scott at ~1,600 cubic feet per second and Shasta at ~455 cfs at the time of the presentation). The board's hydrology presenter noted regional contrasts: the northern Sierra experienced stronger precipitation while the San Joaquin and Tulare regions were drier.
Water-rights reporting: Staff said outreach had included mailings, email blasts and reminder notices; they also noted a challenge in contacting many late reporters because email addresses are missing or outdated. Staff said they are proposing regulatory revisions to require better contact information to improve outreach and compliance.
Board follow-up: Board members asked about repeat offenders among the late reporters and staff replied that many late filers are repeat noncompliers but did not provide a precise count during the briefing. The board asked staff to continue outreach and to plan for enforcement where necessary.
Ending: The briefing illustrated how dry conditions in parts of the state can coexist with high reservoir storage and underscored an ongoing problem with water-rights reporting compliance that the board plans to address through outreach, regulation and enforcement as applicable.
