California Called Critically Dry

SACRAMENTO — State water officials, their hopes for a wet winter dashed, moved California from the dry to the critically dry column Friday but stopped short of declaring 1988 to be a drought year.

“I wouldn’t consider this a drought yet,” reported Maurice D. Roos, flood hydrology and water supply chief for the state Department of Water Resources.

Although 1987 was labeled a critically dry year, conditions are far better than they were during the drought in 1977, the driest year on record, he said.

Encouraged by relatively heavy precipitation in December and early January, officials had expressed optimism that California could avoid a second consecutive dry year.

Disappointing Snowfall

However, from mid-January through February and into early March, significant snowfalls in the important northern watersheds failed to occur, and the department reported Friday that snow-melt runoff statewide was only about 60% of average.

In its monthly water supply outlook, the department said hopes for avoiding an even greater reduction in the runoff “now rest on a normal or wet spring.”

“If the spring continues to be very dry, then I see runoffs dropping to approximately something like we had last year,” Roos said. “Last year was critical, and we are forecasting that this year will also be critical.”

On a more encouraging note, however, Roos said reservoir storage statewide is 90% of average, a level somewhat better than last year at this time. Consequently, stored supplies of water are believed to be sufficient to meet the state’s needs this year, he said.

But Roos warned that 1989 “could be grim” if water in storage is drawn down this year and precipitation next winter fails to replenish supplies.