Contrary to widespread reports of a drought, there should be enough snowpack in the Sierra to ensure most Central California reservoirs will have plenty of water from late spring into early summer.
That's great news for local boaters, who have been frustrated the past two years by low water levels caused by below-average rainfall.
While the Department of Water Resources recently estimated the statewide snowpack at 72% of normal, it hasn't prevented Millerton Lake from filling at a rapid rate.
The 520,000 acre-foot reservoir about 15 miles north of Fresno was 98% full Wednesday. In an average year, Millerton is 71.5% full this time of year, according to the DWR.
The lake's elevation has risen 20 feet since the middle of April, which supervising ranger Kent Gresham said forces employees to repeatedly rearrange docks.
"We should be going full bore pretty soon," Gresham said. "I have a feeling it's going to be really hopping this weekend."
At 1 million acre-feet, Pine Flat Lake is twice as large as Millerton, so it doesn't fill up nearly as fast. Located 35 miles east of Fresno, Pine Flat was nearly 50% full Wednesday and rising about 2 feet per day.
Steve Haugen, Kings River Water Association watermaster, projects Pine Flat will get to about 60% to 65% full by the first two weeks of June before irrigation demands kick in.
Farther south, water in 185,600- acre-foot Lake Kaweah, currently 70% full, has risen to the point where the lake's only campground will soon be submerged.
The newly constructed boat ramp and parking lot at Slick Rock Recreation Area, on the upper end of the lake, should be open by next week, ranger Valerie McKay said.
"People should be a lot happier this year because they won't have to wait hours in line to launch or pick up," McKay said.
It's a similar story for lakes in the Sierra Nevada. Shaver Lake is 83% full and rising, while Huntington Lake is at 73%. John Mount, Southern California Edison's forest resources manager, said there should be enough water in the system to keep both lakes full or nearly so until Labor Day.
"Shaver is more full right now than it was at any point last year," Mount said. "It's a good sign that it's so full so early in the season."
Water levels in Edison and Florence lakes will depend on the rate of snowmelt, Mount said.
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