The snowpack is so deep that it currently contains roughly 30 million acre-feet of water — more water than Lake Mead, the nation's largest reservoir.
Similar flooding occurred in the San Joaquin Valley and Tulare Lake Basin after the winters of 1969 and 1983, Swain said.
“The real challenge as we move into spring and summer is flooding — significant flooding — particularly in the Tulare Lake Basin,” said DWR director Karla Nemeth. She added that officials will be transitioning from snow measurements to runoff measurements in the weeks ahead to help water and flood managers prepare.
“Even though we have this extraordinary snowpack, we know that the droughts are getting deeper and more frequent and that means we have to use water efficiently no matter what our hydrologic conditions,”Nemeth said. The potential for spring flooding extends beyond the Central Valley, with officials in Southern California also concerned about the melt. Though areas like Los Angeles will probably be spared because of a lack of nearby snowpack, its water infrastructure could be at risk.
“I’m concerned about what we’ll see the next few weeks and months as snow begins to melt, and want to make sure that we are as proactive as we can be — not just in terms of the work that we’re doing, but also in terms of preparing the public,” said Cynthia McClain-Hill, president of the DWP board.