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Cities in Southern California can expect to receive 50% of this year’s aqueduct from aquariums from this year’s state’s tap waterways, starting from 40% last month.
“Our full reservoir can help meet the needs of state water project contractors and their customers this year, and provide water supplies next year if dryness returns,” Carla Nemes, director of the state’s Department of Water Resources, said in a statement Tuesday.
The state water project aqueduct and pipeline will transport water from Sacramento’s Joaquin River Delta to cities and other agencies for 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland.
Lake Oroville, the largest reservoir supplying the state’s water projects, is currently filled with 95% and is expected to continue to rise as the snow melt runs from Sierra Nevada. The state’s Water Resources Department said the reservoir could reach full capacity for the third year in a row this spring.
The Sierra state snow pack reached just 100% of the April 4 season average, the department said. The average winter and spring followed a very wet snowy 2023 and wet 2024.
State water officials say California averaged snow for three years on average from 1998 to 2000.
Southern California’s Metropolitan Water District, which provides state water projects and supply from the Colorado River to cities and other agencies, has recorded amounts of water in reservoirs and underground storage areas this year.
The increase in the state’s water allocation followed a similar announcement on Monday by the Trump administration, which manages supply from the federal Central Valley Project. The U.S. Reclamation Agency has increased the water allocation for the agricultural water agency south of the Delta to 50% of the full allocation, up from 40% a month ago.
The water agency manager said that increasing supply is welcome news, but the still-limited allocations indicate what is considered a constraint to be addressed.
Jennifer Pierre, general manager of the state water contractor, said she and others “are confident that California needs more operational flexibility to make the most of the storm.”
“Delta exports are operating at less than half the capacity, but state water contractors continue to pay 100% of the system’s operation and maintenance,” Pierre said. “This discrepancy between hydrology and supply requires immediate attention and science-based action to maintain environmental protection and at the same time increase the supply stored when reservoirs are running out.”
Environmental advocates said they were worried about the increase in pumps.
Ashley Overhouse, a water policy advisor for the Wildlife Group Defender, said a pumping operation to supply water, “continuing to have a serious impact on native fish species, and this year is no exception.”
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