April storms help pad Reno-area water supply

RENO (AP) - Spring storms in April helped maintain the snowpack in the eastern Sierra and provided a cushion for the Reno area's summer water supplies, regional water officials say.

The last official snow survey was taken April 1, when the snowpack was about 90 percent of average, marking the fourth straight subpar winter.

But Gary Barbato, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service in Reno, said Thursday that subsequent storms brought the snowpack up to normal or above-normal levels for the first time since the winter of 2005-06.

"All year we were lagging. Then we had that jump," Barbato said. "The snowpack is average."

This month brought 2 to 3 feet of snow to Tahoe City, California, and a storm Wednesday night dropped up to 8 inches at Incline Village.

"It's certainly not hurting things," said Bill Hauck, water supply coordinator for the Truckee Meadows Water Authority. "That's not to suggest the impacts of the previous dry winters are gone. Runoff from melting snow will soak into parched ground, with a lot of water never reaching streams, rivers and reservoirs."

The weather service said more snow is possible next week when another wave of unsettled weather moves into the region. And spring snow and cool temperatures can make a big difference in the summer water outlook.

"The snowpack will remain longer and we will get a more gradual snow melt," Barbato said. "Really, the biggest reservoir we have is the snowpack, and the longer we can keep it up there, the better."