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Wednesday, 18 March 2009 |
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DWR announced today that they are increasing State Water Project allotments from 15 percent to 20 percent thanks in part to recent storms. This is good news for the 25 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland that depend on the State Water Project for water supplies. But the drought isn't over. In its statement, DWR acknowledged that while statewide rainfall totals are near normal for the year, Lake Oroville still remains 34 percent below normal. In addition, runoff projections for the state are just 64 percent of normal, the third below average year in a row. What to expect The crowd that typically opposes Delta water exports will claim that this is further proof that California does not need to react to the current water supply situation with new project ideas, such as a canal to move water around the Delta or surface storage projects. But that isn't what DWR's announcement today means. The fact remains that hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland that depend on SWP and CVP water will go without those deliveries this year and as many as 80,000 farm-related jobs will be lost due to man-made water supply cutbacks and drought. You are going to hear more rationale that California's water supply is fine. Don't be fooled.
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