California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
As snow begins to melt in the mountains and make its way to California reservoirs, the Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced they are increasing deliveries from the State Water Project (SWP). State Water Project Contractors can now expect to receive 50 percent of requested water supplies, up from 40 percent announced last month.
According to DWR, California’s snowpack peaked on April 4 at 100 percent for the season and now that snowpack is starting to melt and flow into California’s watersheds and reservoirs.
“This winter, water managers were able to navigate extreme swings between wet and dry conditions thanks in part to new operating permits that allow increased flexibility in operations to move water into storage while protecting endangered species,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “Our full reservoirs will allow us to help meet the needs of the State Water Project contractors and their customers this year as well as provide some water supply next year in the event that dry conditions return.”
Lake Oroville, the SWP’s largest reservoir, is 95 percent full and San Luis Reservoir in Merced County is 83 percent full. DWR anticipates that Lake Oroville could reach capacity this spring, which would mark the third straight year the reservoir has filled.
