Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Risk of High Water No Greater than Moderate

Meanwhile, the state won't have any water worries this summer, hydrologist Gary Barbato said on Wednesday.

"Spring arrived at least twice this year only to be pushed back by another series of winter storms. This resulted in well above average streamflow in February and March while still leaving plenty of snow to provide runoff through the remainder of the season," he said.

Along with a generally above average snowpack, he said reservoirs are nearing capacity and rivers and streams are running at a brisk rate.

While the lower Colorado River Basin is at the short end of the snowpack storage with just 56 percent of average, the upriver snow water storage is ample to feed Lake Mead this year.

Other runoff areas are at or above 100 percent of average, Barbato said, and back-to-back wet winters have filled reservoirs that were decimated by eight drought years.

Lake Tahoe, now just a foot below its capacity, is 82 percent full. Boca, Prosser and Stampede reservoirs above the Truckee River average 83 percent of capacity and Lahontan Reservoir has 95 percent of the water it can hold.

The likelihood of flooding along the Carson River below Lahontan Dam was rated very high last month, but has fallen to moderate. Barbato said a moderate possibility of high springtime water also exists along the Truckee, Walker, Owyhee and Humboldt rivers.

With the snowpack in northern Nevada and the Sierra ranging from 110 percent to 130 percent of average, Barbato said the chances of flooding from snowmelt alone are relatively slim and would occur only if temperatures turn extremely warm or there is heavy rain.

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