California water stocks in "good shape" going into 2003
Date: 03-Oct-02
Country: USA
"Despite some localized problems from two dry years, California's water supply remains in good shape at the start of a new water year cycle," the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) said in a statement.
California's "water year" officially begins on Oct. 1, the start of the rainy season, and runs to Sept. 30.
The early outlook is good news for the state's $27 billion agricultural sector - the nation's biggest - and the hydroelectricity that accounts for up to 25 percent of California's power needs.
The DWR said 2003 water prospects in the nation's most populous state could improve if the El Nino weather phenomenon grows stronger, said Bill Mork, a DWR forecaster.
But the DWR cautioned that its winter weather outlook was based on "relatively sketchy information," citing weak to moderate El Nino conditions that could bring more rain and snow this winter to arid Southern California and a drier winter to Northern California.
The El Nino weather pattern results from a warming of ocean waters in the eastern Pacific that occurs every four to five years, and has sparked floods and droughts across the world. The phenomenon usually appears near Christmas and its name translates into English as "The Christ Child".
The DWR said it would hold a third straight year of drought preparedness workshops later this month in case California sees a dry winter that would aggravate accumulating water problems.
California was hit with its first dry winter in 2001 after six years of ample rain and snow. The 2002 water year was wetter than last year but still fell slightly below normal, the DWR said.
California, with about 35 million residents, has few new reservoirs and faces growing water demands and shrinking water supplies over the next 10 years to 15 years.
The DWR said state reservoir storage stood at 87 percent of average, but said rain and snow has been below average statewide every month since January.
A representative from the California Energy Commission, which monitors output from the state's hydroelectric plants, was not immediately for comment.
The DWR said the first official water supply forecast will be released in early December and the first snowmelt runoff forecast will be issued in early February.
