Although president Trump promised California growers more water by reserving less for the environment, the clouds haven’t cooperated.
Officials yesterday announced farmers dependent on water stored behind federally owned dams will likely have to make do with less this coming year.
Ernest Conant, the regional director of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation’s California-Great Basin region said after a promising start in late 2019, recent conditions in the state have been very dry.
“In the Northern Sierra system, we’re at 51 percent of normal for this time of year,” Conant said.
That’s with the bulk of the rainy season behind California and the window for significant winter storms beginning to close.
The Bureau of Reclamation, which operates Shasta Dam and cooperates with state water facilities, announced agricultural users north of the Delta will receive only half of their contracted supplies. Most other user groups will be denied their full allocation, unless there’s a dramatic increase in precipitation.
Kristen White, the Bureau of Reclamation’s Central Valley operations manager, said the situation is unavoidable.
“We have had zero precipitation in the valley for February, and little to no precipitation in the mountains, up in the Sierra,” White said.
State officials are expected to conduct their monthly snow survey next week. Poor results are expected.
On Monday, the State Water Project modestly increased allocations to 15 percent.