You are now in California and the U.S. category.

Clambering through a snowy meadow with drifts up to the tree branches, California’s water managers measured the state’s vital Sierra Nevada snowpack Thursday at a drought-busting and welcome 173 percent of average. Runoff from the overall Sierra snowpack, which provides arid California with a third of its water in a good year, stood at the highest level since 1995 for this point in the year, California’s Department of Water Resources said.

It’s Groundhog Day and Punxsatawney Phil saw his shadow this morning and called for six more weeks of winter, which is pretty appropriate since we woke up to rain in California once again. But the biggest headline of the day is that the latest drought report was released this morning, and once again we have seen significant improvement in the drought conditions here in Kern County!

Lake Mead water levels have a 50 percent chance of falling below a threshold that will trigger an official shortage, federal water managers have said, which would result in a significant reduction of water shared by three states. The lake stores water for Arizona, California and Nevada. If it falls below 1,075 feet above sea level, or about 35 percent capacity for the reservoir, federal regulations would kick in mandating radical cuts to the share in water received by the states.

Following years of drought and with 2017 shaping up to be what the California Department of Water Resources calls “one of the wettest years ever,” some observers have wondered why water agencies are not storing more water in reservoirs for future use. Because preventing loss of life and reducing property damage from flooding becomes a top priority during strong storms such as those that reached the state in January, agencies say they must release water from reservoirs to make room for anticipated runoff from subsequent storms.

In their recent commentary, “More dams won’t do it, time for a fresh approach on water,” the writers are spot-on in referencing the need for multiple solutions to solving California’s water challenges, especially in the face of anticipated climate change. However, they miss several important points about the value of new water storage in California. Historically, California has used its snow pack as seasonal storage. With climate change, this immense natural water storage system will likely be significantly reduced or lost. Alternative water supply options are critical to maintaining a state that is economically and ecologically healthy.