This is good news: Peak streamflows on Mono Lake’s tributaries exceed expectations

It's local news, but in a land where everyone is intensely tuned into water news, it's a good thing that Mono Lake is getting its fair share of the wet stuff this year.

2018 has been a remarkable year for Mono Basin hydrology. A wet March pushed the Mono Basin year-type from the “Dry” category (with no required peak flows) to the “Normal” category (with significant peak flows). The last snow surveys around April 1 occurred prior to a very wet April and May, leaving a lot of uncertainty about how much snowmelt runoff to expect this year.

In addition, Southern California Edison is emptying Saddlebag Lake Reservoir by September 1 in order to repair a sinkhole, and it is keeping its upper Rush Creek reservoirs low due seismic concerns (as it has done each year since 2012). This also makes flows this spring higher than expected.

The Los Angeles Department of Water & Power issued an April 1 runoff forecast of 85% of average, however all indications are that it will be wetter, perhaps over 90% of average.

You can track most Mono Basin stream flows in real-time right here.