Operators Ready Reservoirs To Hold Large Snowpack

As Gov. Brown declared an official end to the California drought emergency last week, reservoir operators continued preparations to handle runoff of a Sierra Nevada snowpack that stood at roughly 170 percent of average at the start of the week. The governor’s order maintained water-reporting requirements and prohibitions on practices such as hosing off city sidewalks and irrigating ornamental turf on public street medians. It also ordered state agencies to continue requiring agricultural and urban water suppliers to “accelerate their data collection, improve water system management and prioritize capital projects to reduce water waste.”