While precipitation and snowpack are well above average in 2010, court ordered Delta water pumping restrictions to protect fish continues to put the Golden State in a very precarious water supply position. State Water Project (SWP) allocations for agriculture and urban contractors remain at just 50 percent. Farmers in the San Joaquin Valley are also receiving just 45 percent of supplies from the Federal Central Valley Project (CVP).
FINAL SNOWPACK LEVELS
The state completed its final snowpack survey on April 30, 2010. Snow depth and water content levels ended the season well above normal.
MAJOR RESERVOIR LEVELS
This year’s above average rainfall and snowpack have begun to offset 3 previous years of drought and declining water storage levels.
Dept. of Water Resources - Current Reservoir Conditions
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
60 Minutes report California: Running Dry (Dec. 27, 2009)
Sean Hannity Report: The Valley Hope Forgot (Sept. 17, 2009)
Crisis On Tap: California's water reckoning...ongoing drought, court ordered restrictions, aging infrastructure and rapid population growth exacerbate state's water crisis.
Article in the Press Enterprise (Mar. 23, 2009)
PUMPING RESTRICTIONS SLASH DELIVERIES
Despite well above average precipitation and snowpack and rapidly rising reservoir levels, federal court decisions designed to protect threatened fisheries are increasingly restricting water supplies to the 25 million residents and thousands of farms and other businesses that depend on the Delta for their water supply.
Water Under the Bridge
Wasted Resources
Court imposed water pumping restrictions are having an increasingly devastating impact on water deliveries in California. To date, more than 1,043,004 acre-feet of water have been allowed to flow out to the ocean because exports from the Delta have been curtailed to protect native fishes. This wasted precious resource would have provided enough water for over 347,000 acres of thirsty farm crops or met the water supply needs of over 8,344,032 California residents for a year.
