Last Snowpack Reading Level Low

California’s last snow survey of the season is bad news for the millions of state residents who rely on the snowpack for their water. The state Department of Water Resources found the water content in the snowpack on Thursday was 17 percent of normal.

Department of Water Resources Spokesperson Ted Thomas says, “In some places, there was no snow at all. It’s pretty sparse out there.”

State officials are projecting they will deliver just 35 percent of the water that has been requested from the 29 agencies that rely on the snowmelt, which supplies more than 25 million Californians.

Thomas says, “The saving grace will be that we have good reservoir storage. That will get most of us through the summer in pretty good shape. Those who will feel the pinch are some of the state farmers, particularly those west of the San Joaquin Valley.”

This year has been one of the driest rainy seasons on record in some parts of California.