Thursday February 23, 2023
KCRA 3 —
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has announced initial water allocations for California’s Central Valley Project.
The Central valley Project is a network of reservoirs, dams and canals that transport water supply for millions of people, as well as agriculture and environmental interests in Central and Southern California.
Following a very wet January, it comes with little surprise that expected allocations are much higher than the past few years.
Senior water rights holders, including the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Settlement Contractors, are allocated at 100% of their historical allocations. Reclamation Regional Director Earnest Conant said that allocation may be reduced to 75% if forecasted inflows into Lake Shasta do not hold. As of Wednesday, Lake Shasta is currently at 59% of capacity. The National Weather Service is forecasting spring inflow to be 90% of the average.