Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Hydrology Drought topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board hears hydrology update: statewide precipitation near average, snowpack at 6% of normal; Scott River curtailments enacted
Summary
The board received an update showing statewide accumulated precipitation near 98% of average but a statewide snow-water content of about 6% of normal; staff detailed river-specific curtailments on the Scott River in May, coordination with the USGS for flow checks, and ongoing close monitoring.
The State Water Resources Control Board was briefed June 2 on current statewide hydrologic conditions, with staff reporting near-normal precipitation but a very depleted snowpack and localized curtailments in the Scott River watershed.
Jessica Bean of the Division of Water Rights said statewide accumulated precipitation was roughly 98% of average and that the major precipitation indices ranged from about 88% to 98% depending on basin. "We are at 6% of normal for the state," she said of snow-water content, adding that the state is now moving into the drier portion of the year. Bean noted that many major reservoirs remain at or above average.
The presentation turned to the Shasta and Scott rivers. Bean said Shasta River flows were currently above the regulatory minimums. For the Scott River, staff walked the board through a sequence of actions in May: staff sent a notice of declining flows on May 11; when flows fell below the 150 cubic-feet-per-second minimum on May 21 (lowest recorded ~137 cfs), the board curtailed all surface-water rights; on May 25 staff moved the most senior rights to conditional curtailments; subsequent precipitation temporarily changed some conditions around May 27, and staff cautioned flows were again declining and would continue to be tracked closely.
Board members asked about gauge accuracy; staff said they coordinate closely with the U.S. Geological Survey and the watermaster for spot checks and that additional gauges are being installed in the watershed to improve confidence in the records.
Staff also projected slightly above-average temperatures over the next one to two weeks and near- or below-normal precipitation in the short term, underscoring preparedness as the state enters a long dry season.
The board did not take a formal vote on the hydrology briefing but discussed monitoring and requested further updates, including a deeper dive into Bay-Delta conditions at a future meeting.
Key numeric findings reported in the briefing: statewide accumulated precipitation ~98% of average; northern Sierra index ~98%; San Joaquin index ~90%; a sampled basin at ~88%; snow-water content ~6% of normal (about 2% of historical April 1 average); Shasta/Dwyn reservoir ~56% full; Scott River minimum flow thresholds of 150 cfs (May), 125 cfs (June 1–23), and 90 cfs (June 24–30) were shown as part of the flow-tracking chart.
