California’s water supply crisis
With California’s varying and unpredictable weather patterns, an eye must always be kept on the state’s water conditions. As the rainy season nears an end, water supply fears are being realized and the continued failure of California’s main water supply infrastructure is at the heart of the crisis. Over 800,000 acre-feet of water have already been lost as a result of fishery restrictions on pumping with no demonstrable benefit to delta smelt or salmon.
State Water Project contractors are scheduled to receive only 35 percent of their annual allocation for 2013, while Central Valley Project agricultural contractors are set to receive only 20 percent of their annual allocation.
Restrictions intended to protect native fish in the Delta, known as Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives or RPAs, have had significant effects on water exports over the past four years, under both wet and dry hydrological conditions. This is the case despite the fact that a federal court has held the RPAs are unlawful. The chart below shows the water losses in the Delta since 2010 and the allocations for the Central Valley Project south of the Delta (CVP) and State Water Project contractors (SWP):
|
Year |
Water lost due to Biological Opinions |
CVP Allocation |
SWP Allocation |
|
|
2012 |
Below Normal |
620,000 acre-feet |
40% |
60% |
|
2011 |
Wet |
300,000 acre-feet |
80% |
80% |
|
2010 |
Below Normal |
1,043,000 acre-feet |
25% |
15% |
Without a more sensible suite of actions to protect smelt and salmonids and/or an updated water delivery system, as is currently being proposed under the Bay Delta Conservation Plan process, Californians are now being asked to brace for another year of below normal water supplies for 2013, which is made worse by restrictions imposed to protect fish species. MORE INFORMATION
SIERRA SNOWPACK SURVEY
The final California Cooperative Snow Survey of 2013 was conducted May 2. Historically dry late winter conditions dropped the once promising snowpack down to only 17 percent of historical average to date.
MAJOR RESERVOIR LEVELS
After capturing early winter rains, many of California’s reservoirs remain at or above historical average levels. Dept. of Water Resources - Current Reservoir Conditions
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Associated Press: Snow survey confirms driest Jan., Feb. on record (March 1, 2013)
Hanford Sentinel: Bad water year shaping up for farmers (Feb. 19, 2013)
Fox and Hounds Daily: California Water Agencies Face Major Water Supply Cuts in 2013 (Feb. 14, 2013)
Sacramento Bee: Dry January shrinks snowpack (Jan. 29, 2012)
San Francisco Chronicle: Calif. snowpack outlook grim for water (Nov. 11, 2012)
GROUNDWATER BANKING
The excess water available during 2011 provided an incredible opportunity for recharging groundwater storage throughout the state. Kern County alone recharged over a half million acre-feet of water into its aquifers to help mitigate future droughts. Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California was been able to replenish its reserves by storing 749,000 acre-feet of water in 2011, enough to supply almost 1.5 million households (6 million residents) for an entire year.
MORE INFORMATION: Delta Watch – Banking Water for the Future