Latest news with #CaliforniaDepartmentofWaterResources
San Francisco Chronicle
24-05-2025
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
California's second-largest reservoir fills for third straight year
California's second-largest reservoir, Lake Oroville, reached capacity Friday, hitting the high water mark for the third straight year — a first for the 57-year-old reservoir. The milestone comes after a moderately wet winter in California, with enough snow in the mountains, particularly in the north, to melt and flush substantial water into state reservoirs. This week, water storage in California's major reservoirs stood at a comfortable 116% of average for the time of year, ensuring decent supplies for the rest of 2025. At Lake Oroville, about 70 miles north of Sacramento in Butte County, water levels rose Friday morning to within inches of the 900-foot elevation mark that state water managers deem full pool, prompting notice that the reservoir had hit capacity. At capacity, the lake holds 3.4 million acre-feet of water, enough to supply more than 7 million households for a year. The lake's supplies are at the heart of the State Water Project, a network of nearly two dozen dams and reservoirs run by the California Department of Water Resources. The state facilities provide drinking water for 27 million people, mostly in the Bay Area and Southern California. 'Full reservoirs allow DWR to help meet the needs of the State Water Project contractors and their customers this year as well as provide some water supply next year in the event that dry conditions return,' Raquel Borrayo, a spokesperson for the Department of Water Resources, said in an email. This past winter was the third straight with near- or above-average rain and snow in California. Accordingly, reservoirs have fared well, and statewide water supplies have remained robust. Still, water managers encourage people to conserve, pointing out the fickle nature of California weather and water. Just four years ago, severe drought pushed Lake Oroville to its lowest point since the reservoir began operating in 1968. Managers of the State Water Project have said they plan to deliver 50% of the water that contractors have requested this year, choosing to remain relatively cautious. California's largest reservoir, the federally run Shasta Lake, also hit capacity this spring. The Bureau of Reclamation-managed Central Valley Project, which supplies water to mostly agricultural users, is similarly planning to provide 50% of the water requested to the bulk of its contractors.
CBS News
15-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Newsom announces plans to fast-track California's delta tunnel project
The Delta tunnel project is a plan that's drawing bipartisan backlash. It would take water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and move it to Southern California. Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling for "swift" action to start the Delta Conveyance Project, claiming it's essential to avoiding future water disasters. But lawmakers from within his own party are pushing back on this, saying it's not a long-term solution to the water crisis and hasn't gone through the proper channels to determine if Southern California can even store the water they want to take. Democrats like assemblymembers Lori Wilson and Rhodesia Ransom, whose constituents depend on the delta for agriculture and business, are taking a rare stand against the governor, saying this issue is not about political party but equity. Ransom said the project is a transfer of wealth and water from the delta region to be given to the wealthier Southern California region. Ransom said the governor's proposal put out on Wednesday is concerning because it undermines the proper channels to vet the impacts of the project. She is now calling for a complete audit of the California Department of Water Resources and the plan. "This could, like I said, disrupt and threaten farmland productivity. We need to know how that's going to look. We need to know who's going to be hurt by this project, and that is what this audit is about," she said. "The state has the ability to do this, and we want to make sure that when they are telling us that we need to move this water or there's going to be a dire situation there, we wanted them to prove this to us." Ransom says the project violates the Delta Reform Act, requiring water plants to rely less on water from the delta. She is part of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. She has already been in contact with the Senate and says this audit will move forward. The Department of Water Resources says the Delta Conveyance Project would provide clean and affordable water to 27 million people and 750,000 acres of farmland in the southern part of the state. The water would be transferred via an earthquake-resistant tunnel system that the DWR says would sit up to 130 feet below ground. Newsom's plan to fast-track the project came as the governor outlined his nearly $332 billion state spending plan on Wednesday. The governor revealed that California is facing a $12 billion budget deficit.
San Francisco Chronicle
04-05-2025
- Climate
- San Francisco Chronicle
California's biggest reservoir reaches capacity for third straight year
California's largest reservoir, Shasta Lake, reached capacity this week, marking the third straight year it has filled or nearly filled with water. The run of big water years at the reservoir reflects the unusual string of wet winters the state has experienced, and it bodes well for water supplies this year across California. The lake, which stretches across an extraordinary 35 miles in the southern Cascades north of Redding near Mount Shasta, is the cornerstone of the federally run Central Valley Project. Its supplies are sent to cities and farms hundreds of miles away, including the Bay Area. The San Joaquin Valley's booming agricultural industry is the primary beneficiary. The lake's water, collected from the Sacramento River, also generates hydroelectricity and is used to manage downriver flows for wildlife and water quality. The last time Shasta Lake hit capacity or near capacity for three consecutive years was 2010 through 2012. Early in the week, the Bureau of Reclamation announced a slight increase in the amount of water it expects to deliver this year from Shasta Lake and the nearly 20 other reservoirs in the Central Valley Project. According to the announcement, most water suppliers for farms in the San Joaquin Valley will get 50% of what they requested, up from the 40% projected in March. Water suppliers north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta are still slotted for 100% of what they requested while municipal suppliers south of the delta remain pegged for 75%. The State Water Project, a network of reservoirs that runs in parallel to the federal project, also increased its projected deliveries from 40% to 50% this week. Its flagship reservoir, Lake Oroville, is also expected to fill. On Thursday, the state's major reservoirs cumulatively held 118% of the water they typically hold this time of year, according to the California Department of Water Resources. State and federal decisions about how much water to deliver are based largely on the amount of water held in reservoirs, much of it coming from spring snowmelt in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascades. But there are other factors, too, both hydrological, such as how quickly the snow melts, and regulatory, including how much water must be released from reservoirs for rivers and fish. This year, snowpack across the state measured 96% of average on April 1, the point at which it typically peaks. Seasonal precipitation stands at 99% of average. The past two years were wetter, with snowpack at 111% of average in April 2024 and 237% of average in April 2023. With snowmelt now in full force, Shasta Lake peaked on Tuesday. The reservoir held 4,405,312 acre-feet of water, federal data shows, leaving it less than five feet from topping out, which water officials consider 'full pool.' (An acre-foot of water is equal to what two to three households use in a year.) Since Tuesday, the Bureau of Reclamation has increased water releases from the reservoir, which has dropped lake levels. 'Operation of the Central Valley Project supports food and economic development not only for California, but the nation,' said Michael Burke, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which runs the federal project, in an email. 'With a full (Shasta) reservoir we can meet the needs of the communities downstream and generate power when it is needed the most.'
Epoch Times
30-04-2025
- Climate
- Epoch Times
California Increases Water Supplies to Farms, Residents
California will allow more water to flow to farms and residents as more snowpack melts into the state's watersheds, the state announced April 29. Last month, the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) filled 40 percent of what local jurisdictions and farmers requested. This month, that was raised to 50 percent. 'This winter, water managers were able to navigate extreme swings between wet and dry conditions thanks in part to new operating permits that allow increased flexibility in operations to move water into storage while protecting endangered species,' said DWR Director Karla Nemeth in a According to Nemeth, the state's full reservoirs allow the state to help meet the needs of local jurisdictions and their customers this year, and the water will provide some additional supply for next year if dry conditions return. The state water project provides water to 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland. California's snowpack peaked on April 4 at 100 percent for the season, the DWR reported. Related Stories 4/26/2025 3/3/2025 Temperatures across the state have warmed up and started melting the snow, allowing it to flow into the state's watersheds and fill reservoirs. Lake Oroville, the water project's largest reservoir, reached 120 percent of average on April 29 and was 95 percent full, according to DWR. The department anticipates that Lake Oroville could reach full capacity this spring, which would mark the third-straight year the reservoir has filled. San Luis Reservoir in Merced County, a critical storage space for Southern California, has reached 101 percent of average and is 83 percent full. Earlier this month, the state's water project reduced pumping into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to minimum levels to protect endangered fish. 'These reductions are required as part of the operating permit for the State Water Project,' the department said April 29. Operators will likely maintain that lower rate through the end of May unless San Joaquin or Sacramento River flows increase, DWR reported. According to DWR, California needs to invest in more water supply infrastructure. The proposed The Delta Conveyance Project could have captured more than 867,000 acre-feet of additional water this winter, which would have allowed an extra 20 percent increase in State Water Project allocations, on top of the latest 10 percent increase, DWR said.
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
$1.95 billion a flood risk reduction project breaks ground in Stockton
( — City, state, and county officials broke ground in Stockton on Friday as they announced the beginning of the Lower San Joaquin River Project. At the Tenmile Slough, a levee just behind Stockton's Brookside community, officials marked the first phase of the nearly $2 billion multi-year flood risk protection project. Those in attendance at a ceremony included Representative Josh Harder, Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom, California Department of Water Resources, San Joaquin Area Flood Control Agency, the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, along with Stockton city and San Joaquin County leaders. The first phase is set to stretch up to 10 miles. Barn fire in Stanislaus County claims lives of seven horses, two rescued Lt. Colonel Ike Ukachi with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says it's an approach that provides enhanced protection for approximately 264,000 people, safeguards roughly 71,000 acres, and protects an estimated $21 billion in property and critical infrastructure. Officials say the work is set to take place over the next several years. 'Together we'll be making improvements to the TS 30 Levee, including installation of a soil-bentonite cutoff wall that will leverage 50 feet deep to prevent water from seeping in or under the levee and into the community,' Ukachi said. 'We'll also reshape the levee, add rock armor to the water side of the levee, and construct a new maintenance access road.' Congressman Josh Harder says a project like this was long overdue, and that recent storm events in other areas of San Joaquin County, in part, prompted this call to action. 'We saw flooding in Downtown Stockton a couple of years ago,' Harder said. 'We saw a flood in Acampo. I actually went and visited those homes that were completely underwater just two years ago.' Officials say the costs are set to be divided between the county and the state. 'My hope is that we can actually get more federal support through the Army Corps to make sure that it's not just the City of Stockton and the county that's picking up the bill because this project benefits across all of California,' Harder said. But some residents shared concerns. 'We have never flooded from the West. It is tidal, and the Delta is no threat to Stockton,' said Stockton resident Sheller Gregerson. In response, officials said the levee project is a critical measure to prevent any possible catastrophic events in the future. 'There are absolutely some concerns, but 98 percent of the homes and businesses in Stockton are in a flood plain,' Harder said. Assemblymember Rhodesia Ransom (D-13) said she encourages residents to reach out to local officials to share their concerns. 'It's important, I understand that folks may not feel that it's necessary, but we are going to follow the science, we're going to follow the data, and we know that there's a lot of risk in this state, and we don't want to wait until it's too late to start making those investments,' Ransom said. Officials say this first phase of the project is set to take place during the next year or longer depending on progress. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
