LOS ANGELES — The snowpack in the Eastern Sierra mountains was a record-breaking 296% of normal on April 1, beating a previous record of 270% set in 1969, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power announced Wednesday. The city’s water utility estimates the snowpack is enough to provide up to 130 billion gallons of water to the city and meet up to 80% of LA’s water demand for at least a year for more than 1 million households. 

“It has been a phenomenally wet year, bringing a dramatic 180-degree turnaround for our city’s water supply,” LADWP general manager and chief engineer Martin Adams said in a statement. “But while we can breathe a little easier, the extreme shift in weather patterns demonstrates the unpredictability of our snow and water levels each year. It’s crucial we continue to expand and secure a local sustainable water supply and continue to use water wisely.”

LADWP has multiple sources of water, 50% of which is normally imported from the LA Aqueduct fed with snowmelt from the Eastern Sierra. Another 40% of the city’s water comes from the Lake Oroville and San Luis reservoirs in the northern part of the state, which are both at 117% of their historic average currently, as well as the Colorado River Aqueduct that is experiencing historic lows.

This winter’s string of 31 atmospheric rivers in California has also helped replenish LA’s groundwater basins. From Oct. 1, 2022, through April 4, 2023, LADWP said it had captured 35.4 billion gallons of water — enough to supply 434,000 households for one year.