California Business Minute™

Hi, I am Tim Johnson and welcome to the California Business Minute

This year’s water content in California’s statewide mountain snowpack final results
are 143 percent of normal, according to the California Department of Water Resources
(DWR).

The northern Sierra region had the largest snowpack — 188 percent of normal — followed
by the southern Sierra at 139 percent. The central Sierra showed 121 percent.

But, the State Water Project storage is still well below average and Delta pumping
restrictions to protect native fish species will continue to hamper the state’s ability
to deliver water to millions of California homes, businesses and farms.

For example, Lake Oroville in Butte County, the State Water Project’s principal storage
reservoir, is still only 59 percent full or 71 percent of normal for the date. And
fishery agency mandates to protect Delta and longfin smelt, salmon and other species
affect the amount of water that can be pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
DWR currently estimates it will only be able to allocate 30 percent of requested State
Water Project to cities and farms in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley,
Central Coast and Southern California regions.

I am Tim Johnson and this has been the California Business Minute.