April 3, 2019 – The latest snow survey conducted by the Nevada Irrigation District (NID) found the average water content for the five highest elevation snow courses is the seventh highest in 93 years of record.
As of April 1, the average water content for the District’s five mountain courses was 55.3 inches. That is 165 percent of average for the year.
“The snow survey results, although not record breaking, are impressive,” said Sue Sindt, NID’s Water Resources Superintendent. “Currently all lower elevation reservoirs are full, and with the amount of runoff expected from the snowpack the higher elevation reservoirs should all fill and stay near full into June.”
“The District will make full deliveries and carryover storage is expected to be above average. This year will also be good for hydrogeneration and recreation,” Sindt said.
The snow surveys showed NID’s highest course, Webber Peak, at 7,800 feet, had 153.6 inches of snow with a water content of 64.6 inches. The English Mountain snow course (7,100 ft.) had 151.4 inches of snow with a water content of 71.1 inches. Webber Lake (7,000 ft.) had 121 inches of snow with a water content of 50.8 inches. Findley Peak (6,500 ft.) had a snowpack of 123.6 inches and a 54-inch water content. Bowman Reservoir (5,650 ft.) had 79.2 inches of snow and a 35.9-inch water content.
At the lower division Chalk Bluff snow course (4,850 ft.) on the Deer Creek watershed, snow surveyors measured 32.4 inches of snow with a water content of 15 inches (the Chalk Bluff numbers are not included in the average).
A member of the California Cooperative Snow Survey, NID conducts three official snow surveys each year in February, March and April. Results of the snow surveys are used to predict water availability locally and statewide.