State Water Project Allocations Increased to 50%

Late spring storms have allowed the Department of Water Resources to increase its final 2010 State Water Project allocation to 50% of requested amounts, up from the 45% announced May 20.

Lake Oroville in Butte County, the project’s principal supply reservoir, stands at 77% of capacity and 91% of average for this time of year. But fishery agency restrictions on Delta pumping to protect salmon, Delta smelt and other species continue to constrain water deliveries to the Bay Area, San Joaquin Valley, Central Coast and Southern California. DWR estimates that fishery restrictions this year have impacted SWP deliveries by 800,000 acre-feet.

“Further refinements in our delivery estimates have allowed us to revise of delivery estimate to 50%, but our state will continue to suffer chronic water shortages until we improve our conveyance system, increase storage and resolve the complex environmental problems of the Delta,” said DWR Director Mark Cowin in a press release.

The average SWP allocation over the past 10 years is 68% of contractor requests.

DWR, in partnership with ACWA, continues to call for year-round water conservation with its Save Our Water public education program. For more information about the program and simple steps to saving water both inside and outside, visit www.savourh2o.org.