Snow Level Still Down, Rationing Likely to Stay

The snowpack on the eastern slope of the Sierra is only 39% of normal, and despite a good chance of rain throughout the state this weekend and beyond, Los Angeles residents probably will continue to face mandatory water rationing for the rest of the year, Department of Water and Power officials said Friday.

Heavy rainfall boosted season totals above normal in the Los Angeles area during the first week of January, but there has been no measurable rain at the Civic Center since Jan. 7, during what usually is the wettest part of the year.

The season’s total here remains at 5.55 inches and the storm expected this weekend should leave the city far short of the 8.11 inches that normally would have fallen by Feb. 1.

More significant, said Gerald A. Gewe, the DWP’s director of water resource planning, is the light snowpack along the eastern slope of the Sierra.

Gewe said the snowpack usually provides about 70% of the city’s water. Even though more snow is expected this weekend and next week, heavy storms would have to continue there for the next two months to guarantee a normal runoff during the spring, summer and fall, he said.

“City residents are encouraged to continue the excellent conservation practices they have so aggressively demonstrated during the last year,” Gewe said. “City officials will analyze the need to continue the restrictions as the snow season progresses and the supply picture becomes more clear.”

The picture is a complex one because the city can turn to other sources in times of need. In recent years, with a low snowpack and legal battles complicating the availability of water from the eastern Sierra, the city has turned increasingly to the giant Metropolitan Water District. The district gets most of its water from the Colorado River and from the State Water Project, which is fed by the runoff from the western slope of the Sierra.

Although the last three weeks of January were unusually dry throughout the state, the outlook is starting to improve, at least over the short range, said Stephanie Hunter, a meteorologist with WeatherData Inc.

Hunter said a storm moving down the coast late Friday was expected to bring a good chance of rain and snow throughout the state, with showers beginning in Los Angeles by this afternoon.

“There probably won’t be really significant amounts of rain in Los Angeles in this one,” she said, “but there’s a chance of more rain again on Wednesday.”