Tag Archive for: State Water Project

Notoriously Strict Agoura Hills Water District Scales Back Response

/in , , /by /Patchby Emily Rahhal

Known for its strict drought restrictions, the Las Virgenes Municipal Water District walked back regulations after recent storms provided much needed water to California reserves.

The State Water Project announced additional water allocations to a number of Southern California water districts, including Las Virgenes, delivering 30 percent of requested water supplies. Las Virgenes was previously expecting only 5 percent of its requested water.

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DWR-Reclamation-Water right-drought-conserve

DWR, Reclamation Submit Request to Adjust Water Right Permit Conditions to Conserve Storage

/in , /by by California Department of Water Resources

Following the driest three-year period on record, California experienced one of the wettest three weeks in January. But now those extreme wet conditions have activated a water quality standard in the Delta that, coupled with the extended dry period since then, could result in a sharp reduction in the amount of water that can be retained or moved into storage for both the State Water Project and federal Central Valley Project.

The Department of Water Resources and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation are working in real time to operate the state’s water system to maximize water supply while protecting species and the environment. However, California continues to experience unprecedented swings in weather impacting water management operations.

“Extreme weather swings”

Because of these extreme weather swings, DWR and Reclamation are taking proactive measures to manage the state’s water supply to store and capture more water in preparation for a return to hot, dry weather in the next two months.

Both agencies submitted a Temporary Urgency Change Petition (TUCP) to the State Water Resources Control Board requesting approval to modify compliance with Delta water quality conditions specified in their water right permits, while proposing measures to avoid impacts on Delta smelt.

DWR and Reclamation typically would seek this kind of change during extremely dry conditions. But the swing to extremely wet conditions after extremely dry conditions has created challenges, and the projects are acting to enable additional opportunities for water storage north and south of the Delta while maintaining protections for species.

The request for the TUCP follows protective actions taken by DWR and Reclamation under state and federal endangered species permits in late December and early January, including the “first flush” action to reduce pumping and allow storm runoff to flow through the system for the benefit of native fish species. Recent monitoring information shows the actions worked as intended, with key fish species moving downstream of the Delta and away from the direct influence of the SWP and CVP pumps.

The water quality and water right permits that dictate SWP and CVP operations require certain water quality conditions to be met at specific compliance points in the Delta to provide for favorable conditions for endangered fish species. In consultation with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, DWR and Reclamation are requesting that the State Water Resources Control Board temporarily move the compliance point in the projects’ water rights permits from Port Chicago six miles east to Chipps Island. The alternative compliance point is anticipated to ensure water quality sufficient to protect beneficial uses.

Drought conditions persist

If approved by the State Water Board, these actions would allow DWR and Reclamation to move and retain more stormwater and runoff in the state’s reservoirs in preparation for continued dry periods.  A total of approximately 300,000 acre-feet would be saved for later use by the State Water Project alone.

While the January storms provided much-needed rain and snowfall, they did not end drought conditions for much of the state and California remains in a drought emergency.  Regions that rely on the Colorado River system face increasingly severe water shortage conditions, and groundwater basins that serve communities in the Central Valley will not recover quickly from back-to-back years of drought and chronic overdraft.

DWR will continue to work with federal and state partners to be proactive and respond in real time to balance multiple water supply needs.

California Storms Left Behind a ‘Generational Snowpack.’ What That Means.

/in , , /by /The Washington Postby Diana Leonard

California’s mountain snowpack is the largest it’s been in decades, thanks to a barrage of atmospheric rivers in late December into January. The snow is a boon for the state’s water supply but could also pose a flood risk as the season progresses.

Measurements completed last week show that Sierra Nevada snow water content is rivaling or outpacing the 1982-83 season, the biggest snow year in the past 40 years. Up to two feet of additional snow fell on the region this weekend.

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Why Southern California Water Restrictions Remain Despite So Much Rain

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

Call it water whiplash: As California recovers from one of its wettest months in recent history, the Colorado River is still dwindling toward dangerous lows.

As a result, Southern Californians aren’t sure whether to expect shortage or surplus in the year ahead. Though the state is snow-capped and soggy from a series of atmospheric river storms, the region remains under a drought emergency declaration from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California.

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Local Water Agencies Allocated More Water

/in , /by /The Malibu Timesby Judy Abel

The latest rain storms have made a dent in filling reservoirs prompting the State Water Project to allocate more water to local agencies. Deliveries from northern California could increase to 30-percent, up from just 5-percent in recent months when reservoirs were near deadpool conditions. Officials emphasize the drought though is not over.

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California Winter Storms Boost Water Allocations for Cities

/in , /by /AP Newsby Adam Beam

Weeks of historic rainfall in California won’t be enough to end a severe drought, but it will provide public water agencies serving 27 million people with much more water than the suppliers had been told to expect a month ago, state officials announced Thursday.

The Department of Water Resources said public water agencies will now get 30% of what they had asked for, up from the 5% officials had previously announced in December.

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Column: Don’t Waste a Good Drought Crisis

/in , , /by /The San Diego Union-Tribuneby Michael Smolens Mentioned: San Diego County Water Authority

Last week, California announced initial allocations of just 5 percent of requested supplies from the State Water Project in the coming year. That was actually an improvement from last December, when the state called for zero allocations for 2022. The eventual allotment for this year eventually rose to 5 percent.

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Opinion: San Diego is Not Protected from California’s Severe Water Supply Crisis

/in , /by /Voice of San Diegoby Gary Arant and Kimberly Thorner

California’s water supply crisis has hit a tipping point, with impacts spreading far and wide, reaching local communities and critical industries, putting us once again in jeopardy.

This is a pivotal moment in the state’s future – one in which bold political leadership will emerge, or future generations will suffer. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s recent announcement on his new water supply plan, is encouraging that leadership is materializing, but the proof is in the pudding.

The new plan, California’s Water Supply Strategy: Adapting to a Hotter, Drier Future, underscores the significant challenges we face as a result of a changing climate, the need to transform the current water system, and the importance of significantly investing in California water systems to secure the future of California’s water supply and reliability. The plan outlines water supply strategies and includes a pledge to fast track the advancement of policies and new projects to begin addressing California’s water supply crisis. While this new plan is promising, there is still significant work that needs to be done to adequately address California’s perpetual droughts and water supply crisis.

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Drought-Hit California Cities to Get Little Water From State

/in , , /by /AP Newsby Kathleen Ronayne

California water agencies that serve 27 million people will get just 5% of what they requested from the state to start 2023, water officials announced Thursday.

The news of limited water comes as California concludes its driest three-year stretch on record and as water managers brace for a fourth year with below-average precipitation. But if the winter is wetter than expected, the state could boost how much supply it plans to give out — as it did last year when allocations started at 0% and ended the winter at 5%.

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California Set for More Brown Lawns and Water Restrictions as State Issues 5% Allocation

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Hayley Smith

Californians should brace for another year of brown lawns, tight water restrictions and increased calls for conservation as state water managers Thursday warned that severely reduced allocations are once again likely in 2023.

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