The Department of Water Resources announced a statewide increase in water allocations.
This means that the majority of State Water Project contractors will get 20 percent of their requests. Statewide allocations may change based on how much rain and snow the state gets, however. The initial allocation for December provided 15 percent to most SWP contractors.
“This incremental adjustment to allocations reflects only very modest improvements to water supply,” said DWR Director Karla Nemeth. “California’s variable weather is why we all must make conservation a way of life to sustain our economy and our environment in an ever-changing climate.”
The state's major reservoirs are well above historical averages thanks to last year's record.
DWR will conduct the second manual snow survey on Feb. 1 at Phillips Station. On average, the snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California's water needs as it melts.
The bigger the snowpack, the greater the chance that California's reservoirs will be in good shape to carry residents through the summer and fall.
