Following a series of storms in Northern California in recent weeks, the state Department of Water Resources announced it has increased water allocations to the 29 public water agencies served by the State Water Project.
The allocation — initially forecast at 5% in early December — has increased to 15%, the department said in a news release.
“While we typically wait to provide an update until January, we felt it important to let our State Water Contractors know of the increase as soon as possible to allow them to better plan their water supply for the year ahead,” DWR Director Karla Nemeth said in a statement last week.
The requested supplies are based on contracts the water agencies have with the State Water Project, a 700-mile network of canals and dams that spans from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to Southern California and provides water to 27 million residents in the state. The contracts set a maximum amount of water all agencies can receive, and the allocation is a percentage of that maximum, DWR spokesperson Ryan Endean said.
The two largest agencies that contract water through the State Water Project serve rural and urban needs. The Kern County Water Agency serves 882,200 residents over 8,163 square miles and the Metropolitan Water District serves 19 million residents over 5,200 square miles in greater Los Angeles.
Allocations are updated monthly as snowpack, rainfall and runoff information is assessed, with a final allocation typically determined in May or June. New percentages are announced throughout the year, with the last 100% allocation happening in April 2023, according to state records. The 2024 water year, which began in December 2023, saw allocations of no more than 40%.
“California is still in the early months of our wet season, and as recent history has shown, conditions can change quickly,” said Michael Anderson, a DWR climatologist. “While Northern California has benefitted from early-season storms, dry conditions in the new year can leave us with below-average totals when warmer weather arrives.”