Sierra Nevada snowpack's water content above normal.(Knight Ridder Newspapers) From: Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service | Date: January 31, 2002| Author: Sweeney, Frank | COPYRIGHT 2002 Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Service. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

SAN JOSE, Calif. _ State water officials put on their snowshoes, trudged across a high Sierra Nevada meadow, shoved an aluminum tube through the snow to the ground, and announced good news Thursday.

Water content is far above normal this year in the Sierra Nevada snowpack, the source of two-thirds of California's water for cities, farms and recreational uses.

That's in sharp contrast to a year ago, when water officials were worrying about a dry year.