LOS ANGELES, March 3 (UPI) -- State officials and agricultural interests have openly fretted about the drought affecting California but the state might get some relief from recent storms.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger last week declared a state of emergency because the state is in the third year of a drought. Key reservoirs in the state are down to 35 percent of capacity, and the governor directed state agencies to plan and provide assistance for people, communities and businesses affected by the drought.
State officials called last month for a voluntary 20 percent cut in water consumption and the Department of Water Resources said in a written statement Friday that the latest estimates were the rainy season likely would not generate enough precipitation to get the mountain snowpack up to normal levels.
However, the Los Angeles Times reported Monday a series of February storms increased mountain snowpack levels that feed reservoirs to 80 percent of normal for this time of year. Precipitation in the northern and southern Sierra has already topped 90 percent of normal and another storm is forecast, the newspaper said.
Maury Roos, California's chief hydrologist, said conditions don't "look too bleak."
"I think we'll have more runoff than last year," he said.
Roos said California is in a drought but it's "not the worst we've had."
