A caution sign is posted at the Castaic Lake reservoir in Los Angeles County on October 4, 2022 in Castaic, California. The reservoir, part of the State Water Project, is currently at 35 percent capacity, below the historic average of 43 percent.
Mario Tama | Getty Images
As California prepared for a powerful winter storm system on Wednesday, state water officials announced that they are increasing supplies for water agencies serving about 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland.
The Department of Water Resources (DWR) said in a news release that the modest increase in forecast State Water Project deliveries this year comes because of early gains in the Sierra Nevada snowpack, which translated to an additional 210,000 acre-feet of water. DWR now expects to deliver 35% of requested water supplies, up from 30% forecasted in January.
“We’re hopeful that more storms this week are a sign that the wet weather will return, but there remains a chance that 2023 will be a below average water year in the northern Sierra,” DWR Director Karla Nemeth said in a statement.
“Careful planning and the use of advanced forecasting tools will enable the department to balance the needs of our communities, agriculture, and the environment should dry conditions continue this spring and into next year,” Nemeth added.
The State Water Project collects water from rivers in Northern California and delivers it to 29 public water suppliers. About 70% of that water is used for urban areas and industry in Southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area, while 30% is used for agriculture in the Central Valley.
The modest increase in water allocation comes as California grapples with more than three years of drought and low reservoir levels. Last year, water officials cut the State Water Project allocations to just 5% amid declining reservoir levels and reduced snowpack.
DWR officials warned the new allocation could be adjusted back down if extreme dry conditions warrant.
The Federal Bureau of Reclamation on Wednesday also made an announcement about allocations for users of Central Valley Project water, which are mostly irrigation districts that supply farms. Farms that received zero initial water allocations last year are now set to get 35% of their allocation this year.
“While we are cautiously optimistic, we are also cognizant of the uncertainties that exist and the fluctuating nature of California’s climate with the possibility that dry conditions will return,” Reclamation Regional Director Ernest Conant said in a statement.
