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Sacramento, CA – The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) announced an initial five percent 2023 water supply allocation for public water agencies who receive water from the State Water Project (SWP), providing minimal water for the 27 million Californians and countless businesses and farms that rely on the SWP to support their industries. The decision reflects California’s severe and ongoing drought conditions as the state enters its fourth consecutive dry year.
“While five percent is certainly preferable to zero, it is a far cry from the water supplies that California’s public water agencies need after three consecutive years of drought,” said Jennifer Pierre, General Manager of the State Water Contractors.
“This allocation underscores the need for continued conservation going into 2023 but also the need to make investments in the State Water Project, such as the Delta Conveyance Project, repair to existing canals, increased storage, and climate-responsive operational rules, to ensure that water can be moved and stored during the wet years and times when there are high flows to mitigate the effects of dry years like we’re in.”
“For example, had the Delta Conveyance Project been operational at the end of last year, when we had record-breaking storms, California could have saved about 236,000 acre-feet of water, enough to support roughly 2.5 million Californians or nearly 850,000 households for an entire year. California cannot afford to let these valuable supplies go to waste – we must save water when it’s wet, for use when it’s not.”
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