California buys snow surveys from itself to measure water

California's Department of Water Resources awarded itself a contract for snow surveys. This means the state is paying its own agency to collect data on snowpack, which is crucial for predicting water availability.

The state of California relies heavily on snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountains for its water supply. Accurate snow surveys are essential for managing water resources, especially as climate change makes snowpack less predictable. This contract ensures the state continues to fund and conduct these critical measurements internally, rather than outsourcing them.