With just two months left in what is normally the wettest part of the season and California’s major reservoirs already running low, little doubt remains that dry conditions will persist through spring, experts say.

Even with the latest small burst of cold and damp weather, California’s snowpack remains far below average.

Statewide, the snow’s water content is 61 percent of normal for this time of year according to the most recent Department of Water Resources survey, released in January.

With a budget of $1.6 million annually, DWR collaborates with more than 50 state, federal and private agencies each winter to collect snow data both electronically and manually.

Electric sensors in 130 locations in the Sierra record daily water content information, and once each month a survey team checks data manually from four sites in and around Lake Tahoe, said DWR spokesman Don Strickland.

“How much water is in the snowpack is the important thing,” Strickland said. “Depth isn’t important because [the snow] can compress.”

The team’s latest data displayed an average snow depth of just over 39 inches in four locations between 6,500 and 7,600 feet, with water content 69.6 percent of the long-term average. In the Northern and Central Sierra, the numbers are even lower.

Daily electronic readings yesterday, available online, placed the Northern Sierra average water content at 47 percent, the Central Sierra at 61 percent, and the Southern Sierra at 71 percent of normal for this time of year.

Though the snowpack provides as much as 35 percent of the state’s water supply on its own, it is not the only factor in springtime water conditions, said senior state meteorologist Elissa Lynn.

“The snowpack is a key factor, but it isn’t everything,” she said. “You also can get early season and spring-rains in lower elevations after the peak snow pack has occurred.”

For instance, last year’s snowpack was 111 percent of normal, but was still followed by the driest spring on record in which river runoff dropped to 53 percent of normal, Lynn said.

Yet last year’s drought combined with this year’s even worse winter, conditions don’t bode well.

Low precipitation in January and below-average snowpack indicate that California is heading for a third dry year, said DWR Director Lester Snow in a written statement.

“We may be at the start of the worst California drought in modern history,” Snow said. “It’s imperative for Californians to conserve immediately at home and in their business.”

Never before has the effective use of California’s water supply been more important. Lake Oroville, the principal reservoir used for the State Water Project, is at 28 percent of full capacity and just 43 percent of average storage for this time of year.

DWR estimates that it will only be able to deliver 15 percent of the water requested by the State Water Project, which provides water to 23 million Californians and 755,000 acres of irrigated farmland in the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, Central Coast and Southern California.

“California is entering a third straight year of drought, and today’s snow survey is just one more piece of evidence that we urgently need comprehensive water reform to protect our economy, our jobs, our communities and our quality of life,” said Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in a recent press release, praising water providers who have already enacted mandatory or voluntary rationing.

Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, for instance, recently proposed a strengthened water conservation ordinance that would place a penalty on residents who use more than recommended. If affirmed by the Board of Water and Power Commissioners and Los Angeles City Council, it will be the first time that L.A. residents are asked to ration their water.

AARON BRUNER can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

With maps covering the walls, movable whiteboards, new computers and clean desks, this classroom seems like it belongs in a new suburban middle school – except for the razor wire outside.

The classroom was one stop on a tour of the Yolo County Juvenile Detention Facility. The detention facility’s first open house gave Yolo County residents an up-close look at the new facility, which opened in 2005.

Between 350 and 400 people of all ages, from toddlers to grandparents, followed experienced detention officers through the halls.

Don Meyer, Yolo County’s chief probation officer, said he got the idea from different counties that had run similar events.

“It’s really helpful to see how tax dollars are being spent,” Meyer said.

The facility houses 90 beds split into three pods with 30 beds each. The inmates in C-pod were moved elsewhere as large groups of students, teachers, children, parents and other curious taxpayers were guided through.

Facility manager Ray Simmons said he hoped people would see the important work his team is doing in the facility – teaching the kids this is a just a bump in the road and working to help them be successful when they get out.

“We wanted people to know how much the kids are being educated here,” Simmons said. “That it’s not a warehouse where we lock kids up and throw away the key.“

In the lobby, booths were set up to show what sort of volunteer organizations help out at the detention facility. Church representatives, school groups, health officials and Girl Scouts groups answered questions and shared information with interested people as they waited for a tour or ate their complimentary cookies.

Many parents brought their children to the open house to show them what the jail looks and feels like in hopes that they’ll never have to see the inside again.

Maxine Pepper, whose daughter works in the facility, brought her grandkids to the open house.

“It’s a wonderful deterrent,” Pepper said. “So they see what freedom really is.“

Members of local police departments, Yolo County Child Protective Services, and other county employees also came to get a more complete picture of their own jobs.

“I work with a lot of at-risk youth and people who have been in and out of places like this,” said Josh Gottschalk who works for CPS. “It’s good to get a sense of what it is.“

Sarah Miller, who examines eligibility for Yolo’s food stamps program, also came to gather information related to her job.

“It’s way more of a jail than I expected,” Miller said. “I would like more information about the programs offered, but it’s good general information for the public.“

The tours lasted 20 to 40 minutes as they rounded through the rec yard, the medical center, the pod and the booking area. In the pod, visitors could see the rooms, showers, classrooms, medical facilities and the common area.

Meyer said Yolo County implements a variety of evidence-based programs to lower recidivism rates in the area. By implementing well-researched programs with trained staff, they hope to create a safer county and help the people who come through their doors become productive members of society. He said he wanted people to see the good side of “juvie.“

Still, no one was pretending that it is a resort.

“I mean, if we opened the doors, the kids would probably leave,” Meyer said.

Currently 76 minors are being held in Yolo County for an average length of 19 days. About 29 are from Yolo County, while the others come from all over as part of the facility’s federal contract. For more information about the facility, visit yolocounty.org/Index.aspx?page=1323.

ELYSSA THOME can be reached at city@theaggie.org.

The economic downturn has not slowed the spread of solar energy in California.

In 2008, Californians installed 158 megawatts of solar power, twice as many as the year before, according to a report from the California Public Utilities Commission.

This puts the cumulative total of solar power in California at 441 megawatts, the highest level of solar installations in the country. CPUC officials said they expect the rate of installations to remain strong in 2009 due to a large number of new applications filed in late 2008.

Experts say a variety of factors are combining to make solar energy more popular.

“Rising energy prices and the rising environmental cost of burning fossil fuels are all contributing to this trend,” said UC Davis professor Adam Moule, who studies polymer solar cells.

Moule said solar installations require a lot of money up front – anywhere from $15,000 to $30,000 – but they pay for themselves after eight to 15 years.

Although it is expensive to set up solar panels, the state government provides a 30 percent tax credit for new systems. There is only a $5 to $10 utilities charge per month, and the costs of connecting to the power grid are included in the general system construction costs.

“There are also multifamily solar projects for low income residential housing,“ said Chris Chow of the California Utilities Commission. “There‘s a lump sum of tax incentives for watt of usage based on federal tax liability. The less money you make, the more of an incentive you receive for your solar panel tax rebate.“

Even without rebates and tax incentives, the spread of solar paneling means prices are falling.

Until recently the demand for rooftop systems outstripped supply and kept prices high, but global production has ramped up leading to cheaper prices. Prices have fallen 8 to 10 percent since October and are expected to drop another 15 to 20 percent this year.

“We‘ve seen a 44 percent increase in sales from 2007 to 2008,“ said Ellen Coleman, owner of Wholesale Solar. With more people looking to build on cheaper, undeveloped land, the demand for solar energy has risen, she said.

Some say the trendy nature of solar energy has contributed to its rise as well.

“Solar is sexy,“ said Chas Ehrlich, president of the Ehrlich Natural Resources Group, an energy efficiency consulting group in Davis. “Do you put your Jaguar in the garage or the driveway? Solar panels are just that. They look really good, and they perform fairly well.“

Ehrlich pointed out that solar energy does not come without its own problems.

One Davis development with photovoltaic energy, Muir Commons, had to replace roof shingles under the solar panels, adding several thousand dollars to the cost of the solar project, he said.

ANGELA SWARTZ can be reached city@theaggie.org.

SIDEBAR:

Though solar energy is often touted as a solution to California’s energy problems, some experts warn that energy efficiency is far more important.

“Energy efficiency needs to come before solar, as one of the biggest energy losers is from leaky ducts,” said local energy consultant Chas Ehrlich. “Thirty percent of leakage goes into the atmosphere instead of the home. A change in lifestyle that focuses on an integrated solution is needed.“

Ben Finkelor of the Davis Energy Efficiency Center agrees with Ehrlich about efficiency’s cost effectiveness.

“Davis had some of the first energy efficiency codes,” said Finkelor, referring to requirements the city has for developers building new homes. “It is still a common misconception even here that solar energy should come before efficiency.“

Yolo County used 1.7 million kWh of electricity in 2007, according to the California Energy Consumption Data Management System. This is a slight increase from 2006, with a usage of 1.6 million kWh.

On a broader level, however, California‘s per capita energy consumption is low compared to other states (67, 992 kWh according to the Energy Information Administration‘s site), in part due to energy consumption programs, good rebate programs, and the mild weather that reduces energy demands.