California Water News Daily Your Source For Water News in California
State officials announced last week, that water agencies who serve 27 million residents and 750,000 acres of farmland won’t be receiving any water from the State Water Project, (SWP) in 2022 other than what’s needed for critical health and safety.
While the announcement may not come as a surprise for many, it is however, the earliest that the Department of Water Resources, (DWR) has issued a 0% water allocation.
“Today’s allocation shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. The impact of extended drought and climate change limit opportunities for the delivery of SWP water to support the millions of Californians who rely on it. The State has made clear that the severity of the drought and prioritization of water supplies for the environment have reduced California’s ability to provide water for municipal and industrial uses that fuel our economy and provide good paying jobs throughout the state,” said Jennifer Pierre, General Manager of the State Water Contractors.
The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, (MWD), the SWP’s largest customer receives a third of its supply from the state.
“The dramatic reduction of our northern California supplies means we all must step up our conservation efforts,” Adel Hagekhalil, the district’s general manager, said in a statement. “Reduce the amount you are watering outside by a day, or two. Take shorter showers. Fix leaks. If we all do our part, we’ll get through this together.”
While MWD has access to water from other sources, some water agencies rely almost exclusively on state supplies.
“A zero allocation is catastrophic and tragically inadequate for Kern County residents, farms and businesses, and it provides no hope for replenishment of groundwater banking reserves that have been tapped to provide agricultural and urban water during previous dry years,” said Kern County Water Agency Board of Directors President Royce Fast.
Many officials are calling for more conservation, but Fast is trying to find alternative sources.
“Agency staff is working with local water districts to find ways to minimize the impacts of a potential third consecutive dry year, but those possibilities are stretched thin. Stewardship and conservation are always important, especially when water supplies are critically low. Agricultural water-use efficiency has been a high priority for many years. However, conservation alone cannot solve California’s long-term water supply issues. ”
In Southern California, the Inland Empire Utilities Agency is also continuing it’s efforts for a diversified supply.
“… IEUA is continuing to proactively make investments that will diversify the area’s water supply while addressing the resource needs of the region, ” said Shivaji Deshmukh, General Manager, Inland Empire Utilities Agency.
Last year, the initial SWP allocation was 10 percent, however due to increasing dry conditions, the final allocation was lowered to 5 percent. The only other time the DWR granted a zero percent allocation since 1996 was in January 2014.
