Amid record-setting heat in the state’s south, California’s water managers will measure the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which supplies water to millions. Department of Water Resources officials will trek to the mountains Thursday to check the snow depth, one gauge of the state’s water supply. Electronic sensors show snow levels are about one-third of normal. At the peak of California’s recently ended five-year drought, Gov. Jerry Brown ordered 25 percent water conservation in cities and towns and declared a drought emergency.

In the world of California water, nothing is a sure thing. But when you’re Governor Jerry Brown, even one step forward can seem like two steps back. The seventeen billion-dollar plan to build two tunnels under the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (“Delta”) in California, currently known as California WaterFix (“CA WaterFix”), has been a concern for environmentalists and Central Valley landowners since the plan was initiated in 2005. But in the past two years, the Delta plan has experienced a rollercoaster ride of successes and setbacks.

Cachuma Lake has not spilled since 2011, and Santa Barbara is still facing significant drought conditions, the city’s top water manager told the City Council on Tuesday. Joshua Haggmark, the city’s water resources manager, said the city has adequate water supplies through 2020, largely because of water conservation. “It’s really extraordinary how much water conservation is going on right now,” Haggmark said.