State Water Project To Deliver 100% Of Requested Supplies As Reservoirs Fill

By Chris Jennewein, Times of San Diego

April 20, 2023

The California Department of Water Resources announced Thursday that the State Water Project will be able to deliver 100% of requested water supplies this year thanks to full reservoirs following record winter rain and snow.

As recently as December, the department planned to meet only 5% of requests, but has steadily increased that target, most recently to 75% in March. The last time 100% allocation was possible was in 2006.

“Water supply conditions and careful management of reservoir operations during this extreme winter allows DWR to maximize water deliveries while enhancing protections for the environment,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “DWR is moving and storing as much water as possible to the benefit of communities, agriculture and the environment.”

The State Water Project is a 705-mile-long system of canals, pipelines, reservoirs and hydroelectric power facilities that delivers clean water to 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland.

The San Luis Reservoir in Merced County is now full, and Lake Oroville — the State Water Project’s largest reservoir — as well as reservoirs in Southern California are expected to be full by the end of May.

However, the DWR said water-supply challenges remain in the northern part of the state and in overused groundwater basins that are slow to recover. Millions of Californians rely on groundwater supplies as a sole source of water.

And the Colorado River Basin, which is a critical water supply source for Southern California, remains in the midst of a 23-year drought.

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