California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
The Bureau of Reclamation provided an update on the initial Central Valley Project 2021 water supply allocation for north-of-Delta contractors.
In a written statement the Bureau said, “Due to worsening hydrologic conditions, Agricultural water service contractors north-of-Delta allocation of 5% of their contract supply is not available for delivery until further notice.”
Allocation amounts are based on an estimate of water available for delivery to CVP water users and reflects current reservoir storages, precipitation, and snowpack in the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada.
Northern California has about 48% of average precipitation for this time of year; statewide average snowpack levels are at 24% of average. With a dry forecast and warm temperatures, much of the remaining snowpack is expected to melt over the next few weeks; however, the dry preexisting conditions will limit snowmelt-driven reservoir inflow.
As the water year progresses, changes in hydrology and opportunities to deliver additional water will influence future allocation decisions. Water supply updates will be made as appropriate and posted at https://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvp-water/index.html.
