SACRAMENTO – (INT) – Abundant rain and snowfall over Northern California has enabled the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to provide half of the demand for imported water in the rest of the state.

The State Water Project provides water to 27 million Californians and 750-thousand acres of farmland.

The Sierra mountains snowpack peaked on April 4th. It’s starting to melt and flow into the state’s watersheds, further filling up reservoirs. Lake Oroville, the state’s largest reservoir, is 95 percent full. It’s the third straight year that’s happened.

The winter storms in Northern California were in sharp contrast to the deficit in the Southland. Rainfall across the Inland Empire was only about one-fourth of normal.

Story Date: May 17, 2025