The Region - News from Feb. 4, 1987

Unusually dry winter weather patterns have left the Eastern Sierra snowpack--which provides 75% of Los Angeles’ water supply--at the second-lowest level ever recorded at this time of year, the Department of Water and Power said after its first snow survey of 1987. Le Val Lund, engineer in charge of the Los Angeles Aqueduct, said, “Spring and summer runoff in the Owens Valley and Mono Basin watershed areas could be only 58% of normal,” but cautioned that it is too early to make a definitive comparison, since February and March are historically high snowfall months. The survey, conducted Feb. 1, shows a snow-water content ranging from 25% of normal in the Mammoth area to 19% of normal for this time of year in the southern Owens Valley watershed, but Lund said the DWP will be able to meet customer needs by increasing withdrawals from storage and underground supplies and increased purchases from the Metropolitan Water District.