State Water Project To Deliver More Water This Year

Water supplies have increased in California, thanks to recent winter storms.

Twenty-nine public agencies rely on the State Water Project. It serves about 25 million Californians and irrigates just under a million acres of farmland.

The California Department of Water Resources says it will increase water deliveries to meet 15-percent of requests, up from 10 percent in December.

Instead of the requested 4,172,786 acre feet of water, agencies will receive about 631,115 acre feet.

Last year, the State Water Project was able to meet 20 percent of requests for water.

DWR says the water levels in reservoirs are still critically low, but recent storm runoff is helping. Lake Oroville, the Project’s largest reservoir, holds 39 percent of its capacity. 

Water levels in some of the state's major reservoirs as of 01/26/16.

The last 100 percent allocation – difficult to achieve even in wet years largely because of Delta pumping restrictions to protect threatened and endangered fish species – was in 2006.  State Water Project allocations in recent years:

2015 – 20 percent

2014 – 5 percent

2013 – 35 percent

2012 – 65 percent

2011 – 80 percent

2010 – 50 percent

2009 – 40 percent

2008 – 35 percent

2007 – 60 percent

2006 – 100 percent