The final snow survey of 2019 showed a healthy late-spring snowpack and that means ample water supplies across the state, according to the California Department of Water Resources.  

The survey taken May 1 at the Phillips Station in the Sierra Nevada mountains shows a snowpack of 188 percent of average thanks to the wet winter.

Court says water agencies haven’t harmed the Tribe

A federal court announced on Friday, April 19 that the Agua Caliente Tribe was not harmed because it has always had access to as much high-quality water as it needs. The judge ruled that the Tribe does not have standing, the right to pursue a lawsuit against the local public water agencies, Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) and Desert Water Agency (DWA). The only claim remaining in the Tribe’s lawsuit is the “narrow issue” of whether the Tribe has an ownership interest in storage space for groundwater under its reservation, the court wrote.

Statewide the Sierra Nevada snowpack is 162 percent of average, thanks to the wet winter that has heavily dusted the mountains.

The Department of Water Resources conducted their fourth snow survey of 2019 on April 1 and recorded 106.5 inches of snow depth and a snow water equivalent of 51 inches.