Snow levels slightly below average but Valley farmers are hopeful

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- A water forecast for the future.

On Friday, crews from the California Department of Water Resources conducted a manual snow survey at the Phillips Station near Sacramento.

"Our survey here today recorded a snow depth of 39.5 inches and a water content of 17 inches, and this represents 70% of the April 1 average," says Andy Reising, Department of Water Resources Snow Survey Manager.

The state's overall snowpack currently sits at 90% while central California is seeing about 83%. This measurement is critical as the snow translates to runoff that will flow in rivers and fill reservoirs.

Though a promising picture, the reading is still slightly below average.

"It's a decent year. It's not a bad year. It's a decent year," says Steven Haugen, Kings River Water Association Water Master.

The Kings River Water Association manages an average annual runoff of 1.7 million acre feet of water from the Sierras, which is distributed to parts of Fresno, Kings, and Tulare Counties.

Watermaster Steven Haugen says his team is using new technologies like the NASA air observation tool to get a more accurate runoff forecast.

"The new forecasting tool brings us a lot higher resolution to our data, and it gives us more accurate data," says Haugen.

Alongside the snow survey, just this week, the federal government bumped up its water allocation to 40% for farmers reliant on its supply in the West Side of the Valley.

"That's great news. Every little additional percentage increase makes a difference when it comes to utilizing more surface supplies. Not having to use groundwater or recharging groundwater where possible," Ryan Jacobsen, CEO Fresno County Farm Bureau.

This winter was a roller coaster, the snowpack recovering after several weeks of extremely dry conditions. Welcome news for farmers across the San Joaquin Valley.

"There is an optimism that hopefully it's going to be an okay year," says Jacobsen.

Normally, the Snow Survey is done on April 1st.

This year, it was done ahead of schedule due to forecasted rain this weekend. DWR plans to put out an updated survey next Tuesday.

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