Sean C. Morgan
Of The New Era
The snowpack is obviously thicker than usual for this time of year. Linn County Parks Director Brian Carroll demonstrated the volume last week with some photos of the county’s Clear Lake resort from April 1.
The photos from the same day last year show small piles of snow, while the cabins are buried in snow this year. This year, the snow is piled high.
Peaks and ridges around Sweet Home still have their snow blankets, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Snotel data collection points are all significantly above average for “snow water equivalent” and slightly above average in snow levels.
It still isn’t enough to guarantee whether Sweet Home’s lakes will be full this year, water conservation officials say.
While it’s looking good so far, the area still relies on another two months of rain to determine summer lake levels.
“We haven’t had our lots of rain at this particular point,” said Amy Echols, public affairs specialist for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “We still have April and May, which we rely on to fill our reservoirs.”
Despite the extra snowpack in the hills and mountains, rainfall is running slightly behind last year.
In Sweet Home, rainfall this year is 1 inch behind the same time last year. As of the end of March, Sweet Home had approximately 18.7 inches of rain. The same time last year, Sweet Home had approximately 19.7 inches of rain.
The Corps has no concerns about water levels this year, Echols said, noting that the Snotel data collection points near Foster and Green Peter reservoirs are showing higher-than-average numbers.
As of April 2, snow levels are 4 to 16 percent above average, Echols said. Snow water equivalents are ranging from 27 percent to 40 percent above average, referring to Daly Lake, Hog Pass, Santiam Junction, Little Meadow and Jump Off Joe Snotels.
“That’s pretty good at this particular point in the season,” she said. “It’s still too early to project a summer fill, but right now, we’re looking pretty.
“We have two big months coming.”
And if they even get to average, it suggests a good water year, she said.