The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) is increasing the State Water Project’s allocations to 15 percent of the 2022 requested supplies.
In December, the department announced the initial allocation would cover only critical health and safety needs. However, due to storms in December, the department is able to increase water deliveries.
“December storms enabled DWR to convey and store water in San Luis Reservoir, which allows for a modest increase in water deliveries this year,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “But severe drought is not over. Dry conditions have already returned in January. Californians must continue to conserve as the state plans for a third dry year.”
DWR makes an initial State Water Project allocation on Dec. 1, and it will update allocations as snowpack and runoff information is assessed. The department typically determines the final allocation by May or June.
The State Water Project is one of the largest public water and power utilities in the world, and it annually provides drinking water for more than 23 million people, as well as generates a large amount of hydroelectricity. The project collects water from Northern California rivers and redistributes it to populous cities—mostly urban areas in Southern California and the Bay Area, although about 30 percent is used for irrigation in the Central Valley.
In preparation for another dry year, DWR will preserve as much water as possible in the project’s largest reservoir, Lake Oroville, to maintain Delta water quality, protect endangered species and meet senior water right needs, according to the department.
DWR also withdrew the application for a temporary urgency change petition through February to April. The petition would have provided flexibility for the State Water Project and Central Valley Project to release less water into the Delta to conserve water in the Shasta, Oroville and Folsom reservoirs.
“The next two months are traditionally the heart of California’s rainy season,” Nemeth said. “We need more storms to keep filling up our reservoirs to make up for two critically dry years.”
In October, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) called on Californians to voluntarily reduce their water use by 15 percent. Newsom also expanded the drought emergency statewide.
For the first time ever, this year DWR will deploy aircraft with remote sensing equipment to produce high-resolution basinwide snowpack estimates throughout the Feather River watershed, which feeds into Lake Oroville, the department said. This will help water managers navigate between flood risk and water supply reliability.
DWR will conduct the next snow survey in the Sierra at the beginning of February. The current statewide snowpack is at 113 percent of the average for this date and 58 percent of the seasonal average. — Anna Miller, WLJ managing editor
