Yesterday, the Department of Water Resources increased its water delivery estimate for most state water contractors to 60 percent, mostly due to the March storms. Here’s what some had to say:
From the Kern County Water Agency:
Today, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced that the State Water Project (SWP) water allocation increased from 45 to 60 percent of contracted amounts.
The SWP provides water to more than 25 million residents and more than 750,000 acres of agricultural land throughout California. The Kern County Water Agency (Agency) is an SWP contractor and holds contracts with DWR for approximately one million acre-feet of SWP water. The 60 percent allocation represents about 600,000 acre-feet of SWP water for Kern County. A family of four typically uses about one acre-foot of water per year.
“We are extremely pleased and greatly appreciate the diligence of the California Department of Water Resources to analyze updated hydrologic conditions and increase the SWP allocation to 60 percent,” said Agency Board of Directors President Ted Page.
In the fourth year of an unprecedented drought, regulatory agencies have allowed more than one million acre-feet of water to flow to the ocean with no direct benefit to fish.
“There are no legitimate data to show that the federally-imposed actions have helped fish in the Delta,” said Agency General Manager Curtis Creel. “This is appalling and must change to avoid crippling California from its robust future.”
The allocation increase is welcome news, but SWP contractors still will only receive a portion of the water they pay for, due to restrictions imposed by the federal government on the SWP. The Agency and its participant local water districts are contractually obligated to make the full payment for their SWP allocation, whether they receive the water or not.
“This tragic loss of desperately needed water has severely impacted California communities, including Kern County. It’s like paying the full mortgage on your house but having the bank say you can only use some of the rooms,” added Page.
California needs a comprehensive solution to the water crisis—one that relies on good science and balances the water needs of people and the environment. The Agency is part of a diverse coalition of California water agencies that are developing California WaterFix. This is a science-driven, prudent and realistic approach to fixing California’s aging water delivery system, protect its economy and ensure related public safety.
“It is absolutely critical that State and federal governments work aggressively with water users to implement measures that avoid losing vital water supplies, like the million acre-feet lost to the ocean this year,” added Page.
The Kern County Water Agency (Agency) was created in 1961 by a special act of the State Legislature and serves as the local contracting entity for the State Water Project. The Agency, which celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2011, participates in a wide scope of management activities, including water quality, flood control and groundwater operations to preserve and enhance Kern County’s water supply—the main ingredient for the well-being of an economy.
From the Southern California Water Committee:
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) today announced an increased allocation for agencies who receive water from the State Water Project, which supplies about 30 percent of Southern California’s water. The agencies are now projected to receive 60 percent of contracted supplies, up from the state’s previous 45 percent allocation estimate.
Recent storms have boosted supplies, however, this winter represented missed opportunities for water agencies across California working to recover from impacts of the multi-year drought. Had California WaterFix been in place, agencies could have gained nearly half a million acre-feet of water from January to March alone. This water and more has been lost due to outdated infrastructure and environmental restrictions. These critical supplies could have been utilized to replenish reservoirs throughout California, many of which still remain below average.
“California needs to act swiftly in response to the state’s insufficient water delivery system. The drought is far from over and the consequences of crumbling infrastructure on our state are too great to ignore. California WaterFix is the investment we need to prepare for our water future by stabilizing our statewide water system.”
Charley Wilson
Executive Director
Southern California Water CommitteeEstablished in 1984, the Southern California Water Committee is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, public education partnership dedicated to informing Southern Californians about our water needs and our state’s water resources. Spanning Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, San Bernardino, Imperial, Riverside, Ventura and Kern counties, the SCWC’s members include representatives from business, government, agriculture, water agencies, labor and the general public. Visit us at www.socalwater.org and find us on Facebook.
From the State Water Contractors:
The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced today that public water agencies are now projected to receive 60 percent of contracted water supplies from the State Water Project (SWP) in 2016 – a welcomed increase from the previous 45 percent. However, environmental restrictions continue to limit water supplies for people and farms, while showing no demonstrable benefit to Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) fish species. While we’ve been able to capture 1.1 million acre-feet to date this year to serve people, cities and farms throughout the state, California still lost an estimated 1 million acre-feet due to restrictions requiring fresh water to flow through the Delta and out to San Francisco Bay. Capturing double the amount of water would have allowed agencies to significantly replenish depleted reserves and groundwater basins.
“Any increase in water deliveries is welcome as communities throughout California work to recover from years of continuing drought,” said Terry Erlewine, general manager of the State Water Contractors. “We lost the opportunity, however, to store water this winter when it was abundant – more than 75 percent of fresh water that flowed into the Delta flowed out to San Francisco Bay.”
Water agencies haven’t received a 100 percent allocation in a decade, but they are still required to pay for 100 percent of contracted supplies.
California needs to advance a solution that will balance the multiple demands of the Delta. Our inadequate delivery system was also a factor in this winter’s missed opportunity to store water. Had a modern water delivery system been in place, public water agencies could have accessed an additional 486,000 acre-feet of water in January, February and March.
The State Water Contractors is a statewide, non-profit association of 27 public agencies from Northern, Central and Southern California that purchase water under contract from the California State Water Project. Collectively the State Water Contractors deliver water to more than 26 million residents throughout the state and more than 750,000 acres of agricultural lands. For more information on the State Water Contractors, please visit www.swc.org .
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