The first snowpack survey of 2017 found below average numbers on Tuesday. The Phillips station in El Dorado County reported just 53 percent of the average for this time of the year, according to the California Department of Water Resources (DWR). Here’s what Tuesday’s measurement means.The state is measuring the water content in the snowpack, which is essentially how much water exists if the snow were to melt instantaneously. The average for early-January is 11.3 inches. Tuesday’s measurement reported just 6 inches of water content.