Slow Start To Rainy Season Could Impact Local Water Supplies

CALIFORNIA — California's State Water Project expects to provide only 10% of requested water supplies for 2024, the Department of Water Resources said Friday. However, that figure could change by the time final allocations are determined in May or June.

Each year, the state provides an initial allocation by Dec. 1 based on available water storage, projected water supply and water demands. The figures are updated monthly as snowpack, rainfall and runoff is assessed.

The initial water supply forecast is the first allocation of the new "water year," which began on Oct. 1. The forecast is calculated based on October and November precipitation, dry soils, runoff, and storage in Lake Oroville, the largest reservoir of the system. So far in October and November, storms have not brought as much rain and snow.

"California's water year is off to a relatively dry start," DWR Director Karla Nemeth said in a statement. "While we are hopeful that this El Niño pattern will generate wet weather, this early in the season, we have to plan with drier conditions in mind."

It's not uncommon for the initial allocation forecast to be low following very wet years, the state agency said in a press release.

The SWP provides water to 29 public water agencies that serve 27 million Californians. In the San Francisco Bay Area, they include the Alameda County Water District, the Zone 7 Water Agency that supplies Tri-Valley, Napa County Flood Control and Water Conservation District, Santa Clara Valley Water District, and Solano County Water Agency.

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.