With California snowpack and reservoirs at above-average levels following two wet winters, Gov. Gavin Newsom stood on a snowy field near Lake Tahoe on Tuesday and urged the state to do much more to make its water supplies resilient to the extreme droughts and flooding that come with climate change. “These extremes are becoming the new reality, and that new reality requires a new approach,” Newsom said. “The water system in California was designed for a world that no longer exists.
Newsom noted that this winter began with “bone dry” conditions, but that storms in February and March had pushed the snowpack to above-average levels. The state’s major reservoirs overall are at 116% of average levels, and are set to rise further as snowmelt streams in. Shasta Lake is now 93% full and continuing to rise with runoff from the latest rains, while Lake Oroville is at 88% of capacity — still well above their average levels for this time of year.