Tuesday May 30, 2023
San Francisco Chronicle —
The state agency that manages California’s water resources has made “only limited progress” in accounting for the effects of climate change in its operations and forecasting, a state audit found this week.
“Until it makes more progress, the Department of Water Resources will be less prepared than it could be to effectively manage the State’s water resources in the face of more extreme climate conditions,” the state audit concluded.
The Department of Water Resources also sometimes releases water from its surface reservoirs without sufficient explanation and documentation, the state auditor reported, citing releases from Lake Oroville as an example.
Some water releases are necessary to maintain water quality and sustain habitats for fish and wildlife species, but the agency released more water than was required — water that could’ve been used by as much as 229,000 households in a year, the state auditor wrote.