State Water Project Allocations Bumped to 20%
The Association of California Water Agencies reported recently:
The state Department of Water Resources announced today it will increase the 2009 state project water deliveries to 20%, an increase of 5% from the department’s initial announcement in December 2008.
While a series of storms in February and early March have modestly improved the state’s water supply picture, DWR Director Lester Snow reminded contractors and the public that three consecutive dry years and a below average runoff forecast place California squarely in a drought. Water storage in the state’s major reservoirs is less than last year at this time, at just 55% of capacity, compared to 64% capacity last year. Runoff is forecast at 64% of normal.
Snow pointed out that while current hydrologic conditions may be quite similar to those during the last statewide drought from 1986-1992, multiple dry years, a less healthy watershed, 9 million more people, a shift to higher-value crops, and four endangered species are compounding the effects of the hydrologic drought and creating one of the most challenging water supply situations in California’s history.
DWR will update its contractors in April. Final 2009 SWP allocations will be set in May.
