Water allocations have just been increased to 75% by California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR). That’s a significant jump from the 35% allocated in February. Yet the DWR says due to continued winter storms in March and a significant Sierra snowpack, there has been a boost in the forecasted State Water Project (SWP) deliveries this year, allowing for the increase, some though say allocations should be at 100%.
However, this is welcome news for farmers and water agencies as the increase means an additional 1.7 million acre-feet of water, serving 27 million Californians. The State Water Project will make additional water available to contractors that have the ability to store it in their own systems as well and says the rehabilitation and modernization of SWP infrastructure are necessary to prepare California for extreme weather swings.
The DWR says WhileCalifornia’ss surface water conditions have greatly improved this year following three years of historic drought, but several water supply challenges remain in parts of the state.
DWR will host a media briefing on Zoom at 1o’clockk today to discuss the latest storm conditions, flood response, State Water Project operations, and the increased allocation forecast.
Photo curtosey DWR: A drone provides a view of water pumped from the Harvey O. Banks Delta Pumping Plant into the California Aqueduct at 9,790 cubic feet per second after January storms. Photo taken January 20, 2023.
