Agriculture and M&I water users allocation reduced; 5% allocation for CVP agricultural water service contractors both north-of-Delta and south-of-Delta confirmed at 0%
From the Bureau of Reclamation:
Today, the Bureau of Reclamation announced an update to the initial Central Valley Project 2021 water supply allocation for municipal and industrial water service and agricultural contractors. Allocation amounts are based on an estimate of water available for delivery to CVP water users and reflects current reservoir storages, precipitation, and snowpack in the Central Valley and Sierra Nevada.
The initial CVP water supply allocation was announced in February. Since then, hydrologic conditions have degraded. The 2021 water year for the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basin is currently the driest since 1977. Between the April 1 and May 1 forecasts, there was a 685,000 acre-feet reduction in the projected natural flow to the Sacramento, Feather, Yuba, and American rivers.
Due to worsening hydrologic conditions, Reclamation is announcing the following updates to the initial 2021 CVP water supply allocation:
- M&I water service contractors—north-of-Delta and south-of-Delta—allocation is reduced from 55% to 25% of historic use, which may be adjusted in accordance with the CVP M&I Shortage Policy.
- The 5% allocation for CVP agricultural water service contractors—both north-of-Delta and south-of-Delta—which was previously suspended until further notice, is confirmed at 0%.
There are no updates to other CVP allocations at this time.
As the water year progresses, changes in hydrology and opportunities to deliver additional water will influence future allocation decisions. Water supply updates will be made as appropriate and posted at https://www.usbr.gov/mp/cvp-water/index.html.
