(December 11, 2009) The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced December 1 that it will initially allocate just 5 percent of the water requested by State Water Project (SWP) contractors for 2010, the lowest since the project began delivering water in 1967.
The SWP serves 2.5 million Californians statewide.
Conservative Estimate
DWR Director Lester A. Snow said the 5 percent allocation number is initial and a very conservative estimate of what the department expects it can deliver. The previous low was in 1993 when the initial allocation was 10 percent, he said.
DWR updates the allocation number monthly. Snow said there is a 90 percent chance the number will improve. For example, last year, DWR started with a 15 percent allocation projection and ended with 40 percent. Over the last 10 years, final allocations have averaged 68 percent of requests, according to DWR.
Statewide, overall carryover reservoir storage is about 80 percent of normal, according to DWR, but 60 percent for reservoirs north of Sacramento. Lake Oroville is at 52 percent and the San Luis Reservoir is at 48 percent. Although California has had some rain in the past week, it is not nearly enough to address the shortages in the state’s reservoirs.
Adding to the water shortage, DWR reports there were restrictions on water releases in order to protect the Delta smelt last year and that there will be water delivery restrictions to protect salmon next year.
Water Package
In early November, concluding months of discussions, the California Legislature adopted legislation to address the state’s water crisis.
Funding for the package depends on voter approval of an $11.14 billion bond measure on the November 2010 ballot.
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said the package will provide for water storage, both above-ground and below, a canal to protect the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, fixing the Delta ecosystem, groundwater monitoring and water rights.
The bond authorization appears in SBX7 2 (Cogdill; D-Modesto). Bond funding includes $3 billion for new water storage (including reservoirs), $2.25 billion for Delta restoration, $1.785 billion for conservation and watershed protection projects throughout the state, $1.4 billion for water supply reliability, $1.25 billion for water recycling and conservation, $1 billion for groundwater protection and water quality projects, and $455 milllion for drought relief.
Accompanying legislation, SBX7 1 (Simitian; D-Palo Alto), creates a seven-member council to develop a comprehensive management plan for the Delta by 2012.
SBX7 6 (Steinberg; D-Sacramento) requires water agencies to report water levels in underground basins or risk losing grants for non-compliance.
SBX7 7 (Steinberg; D-Sacramento) contains conservation provisions, including a 20 percent reduction in per capita water use for urban water agencies statewide by 2020, with water agencies not meeting the targets being ineligible for state grants and loans. Not all water districts would have to meet the requirement. Farm water suppliers would have to submit efficiency plans.
SBX7 8 (Steinberg; D-Sacramento) gives state water regulators more power to police illegal water diversions. Specific penalties are to be added later by the Legislature.
Staff Contact: Valerie Nera