State, feds cut water allocations
The state and federal governments this week announced reductions in the amount of water it would be providing its contractors due to drought.
The state Department of Water Resources said those who get water from Lake Oroville would only be getting 5 percent of the water they want, down from the 10 percent approved in December.
And the federal Bureau of Reclamation announced that westside water users in the San Joaquin Valley wouldn’t be getting any water, down from 5 percent announced in February.
North-of Delta allocations were not changed at this time. Municipal and industrial users will be getting 55 percent of their requested water, while agricultural contractors will be getting 5 percent. “Settlement contractors,” like the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District, will still be getting 75 percent of the water they want.
Federal water allocations on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley were not changed either.
“The Department of Water Resources is working with our federal and state partners to plan for the impacts of limited water supplies this summer for agriculture as well as urban and rural water users,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth in a press release. “We encourage everyone to look for ways to use water efficiently in their everyday lives.”
That point was further hammered by a letter sent this week by the State Water Resources Control Board to 40,000 water rights holders. The letters called for reducing water use and adopting conservation measures in the light of likely shortages.
The recent storms might have eased some minds about a drought, but a drought is still upon us.
Rainfall in Chico, for example, is just 36 percent of normal, even with the recent storms. DWR said the precipitation in the Feather River Watershed — which feeds Lake Oroville — is on track to be the second lowest ever. Weather stations in the watershed are reporting precipitation amounts ranging from 57 to 25 percent of normal.
Statewide, the snowpack that provides 30 percent of the water used in California, is just 65 percent of normal. In DWR’s northern region — which fills Lake Oroville and Shasta and Trinity lakes — the pictures is only slightly better, and 72 percent of normal.
Lake Oroville is only 40 percent full, 53 percent of its average for this time of year, Shasta Lake is 52 percent full, 66 percent of its historical average.
Earlier this month, Secretary of Interior Thomas Vilsack declared 50 California counties disaster areas due to drought. The list includes Butte, Glenn and Tehama. The eight counties not on the list are all along the central and south coast.
The proclamation gives farmers eight months to request emergency loans and other assistance.
According to the National Drought Monitor, more than 99 percent of California is suffering some form of drought.