Unusually warm February temperatures triggered an unwelcomed dry spell in California, setting the state back in meeting its conservation goals for this month.
The Sierra Nevada snowpack supplies about a third of the water needed by state residents, agriculture and industry as it melts in the late spring and summer. Last month's snowpack water content measured a promising 130 percent of normal for that time of year -- the highest its been in five years.
However, this month's routine measurements revealed the snowpack is once again below average at a staggering 83 percent.
"Mother Nature is not living up to predictions by some that a 'Godzilla' El Niño would produce much more precipitation than usual this winter," Mark Cowin, Department of Water Resources director, said in a statement. "We need conservation as much as ever."
Following a record-breaking four-year dry spell, California Gov. Jerry Brown ordered a mandatory 25 percent water conservation for cities and towns last April.
Unfortunately, it has been hard to maintain consistent levels of water conservation. In fact, this past January marked the least water-conscious month, with water being conserved at a rate of only 17.1 percent. This is far from the state's target savings of 25 percent per month, and well below the 31 percent conserved in July 2015.
Luckily, weather forecasters suggest the state could still get enough rain in March and April if El Niño remains true to its promises. For now, surveyors are focused on the April 1 measurements, when the snowpack is generally at its deepest. In order to ease the drought, water managers say the snowpack needs be at least 150 percent of normal.
"We're hoping for every raindrop and every snowflake we can handle," Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the State Water Resources Control Board, said in a news release. "We're hoping for a miracle March and an awesome April. But we can't know what the next couple months will bring. And a warm and dry February has proved that we can't count on El Niño to save us."
In the meantime, Californians are encouraged to keep conserving water in every way they can. This means taking shorter showers, fixing any leaking pipes or dripping faucets, and running the dishwasher and washing machine only when it's full.
"Every drop saved today is one that we may be very glad we have tomorrow," Marcus added.
