The Californian Department of Water Resources (DWR) is combating drought by announcing an initial water allocation of just five per cent of the total requested by the State Water Project (SWP) contractors for 2010.
SWP contractors provide water to more than 25m California residents and more than 750,000 acres of farmland, and this year had requested 100 per cent of their contractually allowed limit.
The allocation reflects the low storage levels in the state’s major reservoirs, ongoing drought conditions and environmental restrictions on water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect endangered fish species.
Five per cent is the lowest initial allocation percentage since the SWP began delivering water in 1967.
However there is a good chance this figure will increase as more water supply becomes available.
The previous low for an initial allocation was 10 per cent in 1993, but that number was increased to 100 percent during the year as supply conditions improved. The initial figure for 2009 of 15 per cent was increased to a final allocation of 40 per cent in May.
The historical average of final SWP allocations as a percentage of initial requests over the past 10 years has been 68 percent.
DWR director Lester A Snow said the state was being proactive in combating decreasing water supply.
“The Legislature took a major step forward earlier this month to address the state’s water needs by heeding Governor Schwarzenegger’s call and passing the most comprehensive water package in California history,” he said.
“Nevertheless, on the heels of a three-year drought, we need to prepare now so that we have adequate water supplies for homes, farms and businesses.”
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