Hopes evaporating with water report

Northern Nevada’s water supply has a grim outlook.

The Natural Resources Conservation Service, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, released its February report, which calculates January’s totals, and the results paint a dry picture.

Lack of precipitation in January, the wettest month of the year, amplified the state’s parched lands, lakes and rivers.

According to the report, snowpack is down 20 percent to 55 percent of normal from January. No where is the lack of snow evident than Lake Tahoe.

The NRCS said snow levels are at 17 percent of normal and Tahoe’s snowpack is the lowest for Feb. 1 since SNOTEL (snow telemetry) sites were installed in the early 1980s.

As for precipitation, only eastern Nevada received more than half of its monthly amount.

In the Sierra, 0.2 inches of precipitation was measured in January, marking a new low record surpassing the 0.5 inches set in 1991.

Since October, water year precipitation is 40-50 percent of normal in the Sierra, 67 percent in eastern Nevada and 80-95 percent in the Upper and Lower Humboldt, Northern Great Basin Snake, Owyhee, Clover Valley and Franklin River basins.

Snowpack, meanwhile, is down significantly the report states.

Most basins were down minus 20-35 percent, and each day without snow results in a 1 percent decrease of the total. Making matters worse, temperatures in January were 5-10 degrees above normal and there were times when overnight lows were above freezing.

At Lake Tahoe, snowpack is at 17 percent of normal compared to 23 percent from last year. Precipitation was at 4 percent, bringing the total to 46 percent of average.

The lake’s water surface elevation decreased by nearly 1 inch and is about 70,390 acre-feet below the natural rim.

Based on historical data, the report said it is “not likely” the Truckee, Carson, Lake Tahoe and Walker basins would recover to normal levels.

Two months are left in the “snow accumulation period,” but the NRCS does not expect a full recovery to normal levels. As a result, the government agency urges water managers and users to “take appropriate actions and prepare for a fourth year of below normal surface water supplies.”

The sliver of decent news, though, is the soil moisture percentages are “comparable” to last month.

The Carson and Truckee basins readings report to be near above average. In addition to the soil, Lahontan Reservoir increased its capacity from 5 to 8 percent. As for the streamflow forecast, the Truckee and Carson rivers are down about 20 percent and are currently at the 20-45 percent of average range for the March through July period.

In other news —

The Truckee-Carson Irrigation District’s Board of Directors monthly meetings have changed.

The district will now meet the first Tuesday of each month. The board will meet at 9 a.m. March 3 at the district’s office, 2666 Harrigan Road.

Meetings are open to the public.