California drought: State announces cutbacks in water to cities and farms
Cities and farms across California will receive even less water than they had been promised two months ago from the State Water Project, a massive system of dams, pipes and canals that typically provides water to 27 million people from Silicon Valley to San Diego.
The administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday that because of record dry conditions in January and February, the State Water Project will provide only 5% of the amount of water cities and farms have contracts to receive, down from 15% in mid-January.
“We are experiencing climate change whiplash in real time with extreme swings between wet
and dry conditions,” said Karla Nemeth, director of the state Department of Water Resources. “That means adjusting quickly based on the data and the science.”
Nemeth also announced that the state will seal up an emergency drought barrier in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta by April 15 to stop salty water from San Francisco Bay being drawn too far inland toward the giant state and federal pumps near Tracy that send water south to cities and farms.
The state constructed the 800-foot-long, $10 million rock wall last summer at False River near Oakley in Contra Costa County. A notch was cut in it during the winter to allow boats and fish to pass. Because of dry conditions, not enough fresh water is flowing into the Delta from streams, rivers and melting snow, leading the the risk of salt water intrusion too far east.
The announcement about the State Water Project means water supplies will be tight in California for a third year in a row.
The State Water Project, approved by voters in 1960 and a key legacy of former Gov. Pat Brown, moves water from Northern California to the south. It takes melting snow from the Sierra Nevada and transports it from Lake Oroville through the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta all the way to the Los Angeles Basin. In normal times, it supplies drinking water to two out of three Californians — and irrigates about 750,000 acres of farmland.
Among the agencies affected by Wednesday’s news are the Santa Clara Valley Water District, in San Jose, which provides drinking water to 2 million South Bay residents. Also hit: Alameda County Water District, which provides water to 360,000 people in Fremont, Newark and Union City; and Zone 7 Water Agency, which serves Livermore, Pleasanton and Dublin.
The news does not affect customers of the East Bay Municipal Utility District, Contra Costa Water District, Marin Municipal Water District or San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, who receive their water from other sources and projects.
Urban areas such as San Jose, Fremont and Livermore, along with Los Angeles and Napa, will have to find other water sources, including local reservoirs, groundwater, tougher conservation rules, and purchases from farm agencies to get through next year. And many farmers will have to pump more groundwater or fallow fields.
(This story is developing and will be updated)