May 8th, 2022 by Jeff Fontaine
Snowpack in the Upper Humboldt River Basin is well below normal at 37% of median, compared to 52%
at this time last year. Precipitation in April was below normal at 75%, which brings the seasonal
accumulation (October-April) to 90% of median. Soil moisture is at 77% saturation compared to 78%
saturation last year.
Snowpack in the Lower Humboldt River Basin is below normal at 79% of median, compared to 105% at
this time last year. Precipitation in April was about normal at 101%, which brings the seasonal
accumulation (October-April) to 104% of median. Soil moisture is at 74% saturation compared to 65%
saturation last year. Reservoir storage is 6% of capacity, compared to 29% last year.
Click here to read the May NRCS Nevada Water Supply Outlook Report.
April 8th, 2022 by Jeff Fontaine
Key Points
- January through March 2022 was the driest on record for these three months for much of California and Nevada. The dry end of the wet season leaves California and parts of Nevada in a third year of drought—with drought conditions worse in California than a year ago according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.
- Since October 2019, the beginning of the current drought, much of the region is missing over half a year’s worth of normal precipitation. Some locations are missing as much as 1.25–1.75 years’ worth of precipitation.
- In NOAA’s spring outlook, for the second year in a row forecasters predict prolonged, persistent drought in the West, including California and Nevada. Significant wildland fire potential is forecasted for parts of the region starting in May.
- Drought impacts will continue to intensify and expand given a third dry year. Applying lessons learned from past droughts and drought preparedness are key.
Click here to read the April 8th Update.
April 7th, 2022 by Jeff Fontaine
Snowpack in the Upper Humboldt River Basin is well below normal at 50% of median, compared to 98%
at this time last year. Precipitation in March was below normal at 73%, which brings the seasonal
accumulation (October-March) to 91% of median. Soil moisture is at 73% saturation compared to 49%
saturation last year.
Snowpack in the Lower Humboldt River Basin is well below normal at 64% of median, compared to
125% at this time last year. Precipitation in March was well below normal at 60%, which brings the
seasonal accumulation (October-March) to 102% of median. Soil moisture is at 68% saturation
compared to 50% saturation last year. Reservoir storage is 6% of capacity, compared to 31% last year.
Click here to read the March NRCS Nevada Water Supply Outlook Report
March 16th, 2022 by Jeff Fontaine
The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (Division) will hold a series of official regulation amendment workshops on April 5-7, 2022 to solicit public comment and input on Legislative Council Bureau (LCB) Draft of Proposed Regulation R119-20 which sets forth a process for the State Environmental Commission to classify a surface water of the State or segment thereof as a water of extraordinary ecological, aesthetic or recreational value (EAW) and establishes provisions for antidegradation protection of Nevada surface water resources. The LCB Draft Proposed Regulation R119-20 is available at: https://hrbwa.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/NDEP-R119-20P.pdf
Click here to see the workshop notice.
March 6th, 2022 by Jeff Fontaine
Snowpack in the Upper Humboldt River Basin is well below normal at 63% of median, compared to 86%
at this time last year. Precipitation in February was well below normal at 35%, which brings the seasonal
accumulation (October-February) to 92% of median. Soil moisture is at 54% saturation compared to
27% saturation last year.
Snowpack in the Lower Humboldt River Basin is below normal at 74% of median, compared to 107% at
this time last year. Precipitation in February was well below normal at 42%, which brings the seasonal
accumulation (October-February) to 108% of median. Soil moisture is at 50% saturation compared to
34% saturation last year. Reservoir storage is 5% of capacity, compared to 31% last year.
Click here to see the March NRCS Report.
March 4th, 2022 by Jeff Fontaine
Taylor, M., et al., 2021. The article develops economic models for a cow-calf ranching operation and an alfalfa hay operation in the Humboldt River Region (HRR) that use surface water for irrigation.
This article appeared in the Journal of the Nevada Water Resources Association, Winter 2021 and can be viewed at NWRA’s website by clicking here.
